Evelyn Mortensen

Evelyn Mabel Mortensen, 101, of Atlantic, Iowa, passed away Tuesday, May 2, 2017, at Atlantic Specialty Care in Atlantic, Iowa.

Evelyn was born December 28, 1915, on the family farm in Audubon County, Iowa, the daughter of Horace and Anna (Knop) Heiken. She was raised on the family farm and talked about riding the trolley to Atlantic for piano lessons. She attended Gates Country School and graduated from Atlantic High School in 1934.

She attended Iowa State University and transferred to Chillicothe Business School in Chillicothe, MO. After graduating, Evelyn lived in Kansas City, MO, where she worked in the offices at Sherman Williams Paint Company and Sheffield Steel.

Evelyn moved back to Atlantic when her mother broke her arm and helped her parents while working in the dentist office of Dr. James. She also worked as a legal secretary for Whitmore, Gaffney and Kluever Law Office.

On September 16, 1951, Evelyn married Charles C. Mortensen. Charles said the luckiest day of his life was when he met Evelyn. Together, they farmed north of Atlantic, IA, near her family farm where they raised chickens, cows and pigs. They lived and farmed the same farm for sixty-five years.

Charles and Evelyn enjoyed driving the countryside and other places and did so often. They also enjoyed taking trips, some of which they were accompanied by Bill and Harriet Jipsen. Visiting their sons and families took them on tours of even more of the beautiful countryside

Evelyn was a kind, gentle, genuine lady and a loving wife and mother. She liked gardening, mowing and her beautiful flowerbeds, especially her gladiolas as her dad always planted one hundred bulbs. She enjoyed being a 4-H leader, bible school teacher, a UMYF leader and was very active in the Buck Creek United Methodist Church including the UMW, Talenteers. She was also a member of the BPW and the Cass County Hospital Auxiliary.

Evelyn was an amazing cook and seamstress. She enjoyed many different kinds of handiwork which included knitting, crocheting and embroidery. She loved to read and collect thimbles, porcelain dogs and dolls, and salt shakers. She enjoyed getting up early and taking the kids to go to Crazy Daze in Atlantic. Most of all, she loved spending time with her family. Just like her father, Evelyn kept a journal all of her life and the family will always have these cherished memories.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Horace and Anna Heiken; twin infant sister, Eleanor; brother, Byard; and sister-in-law, Anna Mae Heiken; mother and father-in- law, Otto and Alma Mortensen; brothers and sisters-in-law, Lester and Beatrice Suplee, George and June Haley, Harry and Agnes Kaufmann and Andy Moore

Evelyn is survived by her husband, Charles C. Mortensen of Atlantic, IA; their four children; Linda (Steven) Havens of Wiota, IA, David (Pamela) Mortensen of Marana, AZ, Patrick (Wendy) Mortensen of Des Moines, IA and Michael (Karen) Mortensen of League City, TX; grandchildren, Nicole (Tony) Weers, Stefanie (Bryan) Welch, Mark (Lyndsey) Havens, Brant Mounger, Casey (Andrea) Law, Brian Law, Kristopher (Liz) Mortensen and Michael (Ang) Mortensen; and twenty great-grandchildren.

Visitation with family will be from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m., on Thursday, May 4, 2017, at Hockenberry Family Care in Atlantic, IA.

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m., Friday, May 5, 2017, at Hockenberry Family Care in Atlantic, Iowa, with burial in the Atlantic Cemetery.