Evelyn Amelia Hanes

Evelyn Amelia Kneisly Hanes of Clifton, Texas, formerly of Enon, Ohio, entered into eternal rest on October 9, 2017. Evelyn was born in Osborn, Ohio, on September 19, 1918. Her parents were Ira “BoBo” Reiling Kneisly and Josephine “JoJo” Haddix Kneisly. Her parents nicknames were due to Evelyn’s eldest son, at an early age, being unable to pronounce Josephine. Evelyn graduated from Bath Township High School in 1936 and after graduation, began nurses training at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton. Subsequently, she met Jimmie W. Hanes of Enon, and upon his return from working in Canada, with his brother’s construction company, he brought home an engagement ring for Evelyn and being a nurse was no longer an option. Together they had three children: Colonel Jimmie W. Hanes Jr., United States Air Force, Retired, of Crawford, Texas; Major Jan Kneisly Hanes, United States Army, Retired, of Maryville, Tennessee; and Vicki Gail Hanes, who passed away at the age of 19. As a Bath Township middle school student, Evelyn was designated as one the four healthiest students in the State of Ohio, and she involved herself with athletics and in her words, she was a “tomboy” most of her youth. Evelyn was very active in the Enon area, being a charter member of the Enon Historical Society, serving in various leadership positions, including handling a large wooden ladle at the annual Apple Butter Festival; the Enon United Methodist Church, where she served on numerous boards and committees and was an active member of the church choir; a Past Worthy Matron of the Yellow Springs chapter of the Order of Eastern Star; a member of the Springfield White Shrine; a Brownie Leader; a stalwart member of the Enon Volunteer Fireman’s Auxiliary, including its development at the onset of Enon’s first fire department and Grand Marshal of the 1992 Fourth of July Parade in Enon. Very seldom did Ev and Jim enjoy a Sunday dinner without a number of family members or dear friends. During Evelyn and Big Jim’s marriage, they were able to visit numerous countries throughout the world, visit their children and grandchildren on a regular basis and spend a month in Hawaii annually. One such around the world tour found them in the middle of a coup in Ethiopia, where they were forced to stay in their rooms until the tour company could re-route them to a safer African country and then home to Enon. A second adventure found them and Big Jim’s brother, Gail, in Eastern Europe waiting for days for their baggage to catch their tour. Evelyn became very adept at washing and drying clothes in whatever hotel bathroom they were staying in: this lasted nine days. However, few times were more fun and exciting than the annual Christmas Eve parties at their homes in Enon. Santa, always a dressed-up, family friend, accompanied by one the Hanes kids, dressed as an elf, would make it a point to visit their home, before visiting the rest of the children of Enon. Subsequently, they and all their friends would attend a midnight Christmas Eve service at one of the local churches in Enon. Summers in Ohio meant water skiing at Steinberger’s lake, where family and friends could be found most weekends, and after Big Jim passed away, Evelyn spent several winters at her condo in Siesta Key, Florida. She also had the opportunity to visit the Middle East and spend some time in the Sultanate of Oman, when her son Jimmie was the United States Defense Attaché to the Kingdom. Evelyn moved to Clifton, Texas, in 2005 in order to be near one of her sons and four of her 10 great grandchildren. This was a very traumatic move for her and she missed her Ohio friends immensely; however, she kept the nurses and staff at Lutheran Sunset Ministries on their toes by constantly reminding them that she would probably “be going back to Ohio tomorrow.” Evelyn was preceded in death by her husband, Jimmie W. Hanes; her daughter, Vicki Gail Hanes; her two siblings, Bob Kneisly and Dorothy Calvo; and a grandson, Jan Hanes. "MiMi" as she was called by her grandchildren, is survived by her two sons, Jimmie and Jan, their wives, three grandchildren and ten great grandchildren. Visitation will be at the United Methodist Church in Enon, prior to her service, and internment will be at the family plot in the Enon Cemetery, next to her beloved husband Jim and daughter Vicki. The family invites you to leave a message or memory on our “Tribute Wall” at www.WHBfamily.com.