Sister Mary Evelyn, OSF

Born: December 27, 1922
Entrance: September 8, 1949
Professed: June 13, 1952
Died: June 21, 2025

Jesus Christ called our Sister to join him in his heavenly home, Sister Mary Evelyn Lamb, OSF, Hospital Sister of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis.

But the Lord has been my stronghold, and my God the rock of my refuge.

Psalm 94:22

When you are the oldest of 12 children, your parents will need your assistance with cooking, household chores, and the care of your younger siblings. By doing so, you will learn many things, including the value of strength, and such is the character of Sister Mary Evelyn, OSF. The strength she leamed as a child, and which carried her through her 102 years of life, was what gently guided her feet as she stepped into heaven on Saturday, June 21, 2025, at 11 :15 a.m. with Sisters Jamesine and Marilyn, along with Associate Pat Goldsmith, at her side.

Mary Evelyn Lamb was born in Aud, MO, on December 27, 1922, the daughter of James Earl end Hada (Mantle) Lamb. She enjoyed school and was the valedictorian of her graduating class. While she taught first through eighth grades in a one-room school, and worked in a pants factory and the superintendent of schools’ office, she felt a calling to religious life to be a missionary nurse.

In 1945, she was in a boat on a man-made lake on the family’s property with her 18-year-old sister Eartine and a friend. As the boat capsized, her friend swam to safety, while Sister Mary Evelyn, who could not swim, climbed onto the boat. As she watched Earline drown in the lake, Sister Mary Evelyn asked God to save her life, and in doing so, she could follow her calling to religious life. Four years later, an advertisement for the Hospital Sisters in a vocation magazine caught her eye, and following her visit to the Motherhouse, she entered on September 8, 1949. She professed her first vows on June 13, 1952, and two of her sisters joined her in this community: Jane Marie (1954) and Jamesine (1955).

Sister Mary Evelyn was a 1958 graduate of St. John’s Hospital School of Nursing. She also earned a Bachelor of Education degree from Quincy University in 1956 and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Sangamon State University in 1975.

Sister Mary Evelyn served in nursing at HSHS lllinois and Wisconsin hospitals and St. Francis Convent. In addition, she served at Springfleld & Sangamon County Community Action, Alverna Horne Nursing Center, Chicago, IL (she enjoyed drivlng in the city), and at lnterfaith Caregivers, Eau Claire, WI, where she was the assistant director.

Sister Mary Evelyn returned to St. Francis Convent in 1995 and, in the years that followed, she remained active by painting in various styles, including icons, healing touch, regular exercise, playing Rummikub, and showcasing her sense of humor, which was one of her trademarks. She was dedicated to the life she chose and lived it fully.

She was preceded in death by her parents and brothers: Melvin Mark, James Earl 11, Paul David, Dale George, Walter William, and Robert Owen: and sisters: Earline Lucy Lamb and Sister Jane Marie Lamb, OSF (2005). She is survived by a brother, Charles Joseph (Kansas City, MO), and sisters: Sister Jamesine Lamb, OSF, and Esther Ann Brandt (Kansas City, MO}, many nieces and nephews, and great-nieces and nephews.

Services and burial will be at St. Francis Convent. The Visitation wlll be held on Thursday, June 26, 2025, from 4-7 p.m. with a Wake Service at 6:00 p.m. The Eucharistie Celebration and Rite of Christian Burial will be celebrated by Father Gregory Dick, O.Praem., on Friday, June 27, 2025 at 10 a.m. in the St. Clare of Assisi Adoration Chapel, and burial will be in Crucifixion Hill Cemetery. Butler Funeral Horne is in charge of arrangements.

As her family greeted her in heaven, her parents and siblings joined in God’s proclamation of “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” May she rest in peace.