Evelyn Joy (Pedersen) Waldo, of Fort Collins, passed away peacefully on Friday, December 5, 2003, surrounded by her husband and children.

Evelyn was born February 20, 1925, on a homestead near Belvedere, South Dakota, to John and Dagmar Pedersen. At the age of 2, she moved with her family to Bellvue, Nebraska, and in 1937, to a farm near Hamlin, Iowa. Evelyn graduated from Audubon High School in Iowa, having completed a professional business/secretarial program.

Upon graduating, she received her civil service status and was employed at the National Guard Headquarters in Camp Dodge, Iowa, where she met her husband, Marine Cpl. William E. Waldo, who was stationed at the Marine base in Klamath Falls, Oregon.

Following a whirlwind World War II romance, Evelyn took the bus from Des Moines, Iowa, to Klamath Falls, where she and Bill married on September 3, 1944. They celebrated their 59th wedding anniversary this past September. Upon Bill's discharge from the service in 1945, they lived in Des Moines. In 1948, they moved to Fort Collins.

Evelyn always had a tremendous joy for life. Her greatest joy was her large family and the many family gatherings over the years. Bill-and Evelyn loved to camp, fish and especially enjoyed dancing together. Among Evelyn's many talents were cooking, gardening, canning, sewing and playing the piano. She taught cake decorating as well as baking and decorating cakes for weddings and other occasions, including those for her children and grandchildren.
Bill and Evelyn were longtime members of St. John's Lutheran Church, where she and her husband both taught Sunday school for many years. They later joined Peace with Christ Lutheran Church.

After all of her children were in school, Evelyn went to work for Poudre School District as an administrative secretarial supervisor for the assistant superintendent, Perc Schmeltzer. In addition to her other duties, she set up the Word Processing Center for the district administration building, training and supervising personnel in the center. After retiring, Bill and Evelyn owned and operated Mini-World Daycare Center for a number of years.

Evelyn is survived by her devoted husband, Bill; her daughters and son in Fort Collins, Linda Schneider and husband, Chuck, Lucia Liley and husband, Bill, Cynthia Conklin and husband, Leo, John Waldo and wife, Becky, and Pam Cheatham and husband, Mark; her daughter in Medford, Ore., Lana Emery and husband, John; her daughter in Carbondale, Susan Harris and husband, Glen; 18 beloved grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren and two more on the way; her sister, JoAnn Slizeski and three brothers, Stan, Warren and Gordon Pedersen, all of Estes Park, and many nieces and nephews.

Her son, Mark, her parents and her brother, Harold Pedersen, preceded her in death.