Lillian Anita (Blankenship) Evans

ARLINGTON: Lillian Anita (Blankenship) Evans, 83, passed away on Wednesday, October 14, 2020. A graveside service, next to her beloved husband, Don, will be held on Monday, October 19, 2020 in the Tuscola Cemetery at 2:30pm, Roy Meyer, of Lawn Church of Christ, officiating. A visitation will be held before the service on Monday, at 12:30, at the funeral home. Arrangements have been entrusted to Fry~Smith Funeral Home, Tuscola.

Lillian and her twin sister Juanita (dec 2010) were born in Port Lavaca on October 26, 1936 to James Harold (J.H.) and Mildred Lorena (Gill) Blankenship. Lillian moved to south Taylor County at an early age where she attended school at South Taylor High School. While in high school Lillian was named to the all-district girls’ basketball team for two years.

Thanks to a close friend, Betty Turnbow, Lillian met her future husband Donald Evans. They married on March 16, 1957. They moved to California, then back to Abilene in 1967 where she went to work for Timex. Donald’s work with Foremost Foods moved them to Shreveport where she went to work for Western Electric. They moved back to Arlington where Donald finished his career with Foremost. They moved to Abilene after Donald’s retirement. After Donald’s death in 2007, she moved back to Arlington to be closer to her family.

Lillian loved women’s basketball, she watched it anytime it was broadcasted. Her favorite coach was Pat Summitt at the University of Tennessee. The only thing that she loved more than basketball, are her grandkids and her nieces and nephews. She enjoyed traveling, cooking and listing to music. Her passion was reading the word of the Lord.

She is survived by her daughter, Melinda Pederson and husband John of Arlington; son, Gary Evans and wife Staci of Arlington; son, Bill Evans of Burleson; six grandkids and six great-grandkids. She is also survived by her brother, Harold Don Blankenship and several nieces and nephews.

She is preceded in death by her husband of 50 years Donald William, parents, Harold and Mildred Blankenship, her twin sister, Juanita Cumby, and sister, Iona Earnest.