URBANA, IL – Evelyn L. Broga, 96, of Urbana, IL passed away peacefully May 21, 2014 at Amber Glen in Urbana. Our much-loved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt and friend was born July 30, 1917 in Westfield, Massachusetts. Evelyn was the fourth child of Frederick James and Delia (Thibadeau) Killips. A child of the Depression, she described her early years as filled with a large extended family, friends, laughter and inexpensive fun. She carried these lessons into adulthood.
Evelyn and Ken Broga met at his 13th birthday party. They lived in nearby towns and did not see each other again until they were 21. They married on June 16, 1940. He became a career Air Force officer following World War II, so the family moved often. Evelyn turned every house into a home where every visitor was treated as family. She particularly enjoyed the years they were stationed in Germany. Ken died July 22, 1963, at which time Evelyn returned to her hometown of Westfield, where she remained until 2008 when she moved to Urbana.
She graduated from Westfield High School in 1935. She found a job as a companion to the wife of the librarian at the Westfield Athenaeum. He later offered her a part-time job in the children’s library, which she loved. She and her cousin, Eleanor, had been avid readers and regular patrons of the Athenaeum when they were children. They checked out a book in the morning, went home and read it, and walked back in the afternoon to check out another book.
Evelyn was preceded in death by her parents, her brother, Freddy, and her sisters Margaret Rumplik, Dorothy Beahn, and Elizabeth Kratochvil. She is survived by her sister, Pearl DeGray, of Westfield. Her daughter, Ellen Jean White, died in 2004. Mom/Gramma is remembered with love by her son, Mike (Abbie), of Urbana; grandson, Eric (Penny) of Champaign, grandson, Brian (Susan) of Elkhorn, WI and great-grandchildren, Dustin, Matthew, Jakob, Sarah and David. We will miss her spunk, independent and adventurous spirit, ready smile, and laugh. She leaves nieces, Della Hayden, LeDora Harrington, Dorothy Barrett, and nephews, David Kratochvil, James DeGray, Raymond Rumplik, and Ronald Rumplik. Her nephews, Kenneth Beahn and Robert Beahn, preceded her in death.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Carle Hospice in Urbana or to the Council on Aging in Westfield. Condolences may be offered online at www.renner-wikoffchapel.com.
Memorial services will be held Friday, June 6, 2014 at 3:00 p.m. at Renner-Wikoff Chapel and Crematory, 1900 South Philo Road, Urbana, IL with Rev. Dr. Laura Brookens Reason officiating.
