HITZEROTH Evelyn Anne, 98, of Tavistock, Ontario, passed away at PeopleCare, Tavistock, on Friday, April 15, 2022. Loving and devoted wife, mother, registered nurse, musician, author and gardener: she enjoyed a happy, full, and successful life. Evelyn made a caring, positive impact on the lives of many.
Evelyn was truly a Renaissance woman. Her lifetime spanned the 20th and 21st centuries. She respected and honoured the hardships, and courage, of five generations of pioneering ancestors, who settled in Canada before her. At the same time, she pursued studies in the arts, sciences and medicine, to achieve forward-looking goals in her lifetime, and her career.
Evelyn was born in Stratford on May 8, 1924, daughter of the late Wellington and Ina (Alexander) Wilson, of Bruce County, and Stratford.
In 1945, age 21, Evelyn received her Registered Nursing Diploma, a graduate of the Stratford General Hospital School of Nursing. She was awarded the Mayor of Stratford’s Gold Medal of General Proficiency. Evelyn was a member of the College of Nurses of Ontario, and the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario.
Evelyn married Eric Hitzeroth, of Tavistock, in 1946. Together they shared life adventures that took them to Montreal, Quebec, and Goose Bay, Labrador; they later took up residence in Windsor, Ontario.
There, in 1961, Evelyn was employed as pediatric and intensive care nurse at Metropolitan Hospital. From the Faculty of Arts and Science, University of Windsor, she was awarded her Diploma in Nursing Education. She then joined the Faculty of Nursing at Hotel Dieu Hospital, teaching Medical Surgical Nursing. She gained recognition as a valued colleague, and mentor to the many students she taught. In 1977, Evelyn held a Teaching Master position with the Faculty of Education at St. Clair College, Windsor; she was also certified as Guest Lecturer in Ethics, Law and Nursing.
After retirement from teaching, and moving to Eric’s home town of Tavistock, Evelyn accepted a position at PeopleCare, Tavistock, as Administrator and Acting Director of Nursing in 1982. During this time, Evelyn sat on the Thames Valley Health Care Council, advising on how to best deliver care in nursing homes. Notably, she created the home’s first Residents’ Council, and her many innovative ideas were to change the quality of long-term nursing care in Ontario.
Evelyn and Eric were long-standing members of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Sebastopol-Tavistock.
Predeceased by husband, Eric; brother Bruce Wilson; grandson Anthoine Julien; nephew Grant Wilson, sisters-in-law Molna (Hitzeroth) Eberschlag; Shirley (Hitzeroth) Crewson, Joan (Hitzeroth) Smith, Pat (Purvis) Wilson; son-in-law René Julien.
Evelyn is lovingly remembered by her two daughters, Trudie Hitzeroth Julien, of Vallon Pont D’Arc, France; Connie Hitzeroth Ohlman, and son-in-law Dennis Ohlman, Toronto; grandsons Eric (Julie) Ohlman and Matthew Ohlman, Toronto; great-grandsons Liam and Caleb Ohlman; brother-in-law Ross Smith; and her many dear cousins, nieces, nephews and family members.
Relatives and friends will be received in the West Room of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Sebastopol-Tavistock on Tuesday, April 19, 2022 from 9:30am until 10:45am followed by the funeral service in Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church at 11:00am. Interment to follow in the Church Cemetery.
If you are inclined to make a donation, please consider VON – Woodstock or Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Sebastopol-Tavistock. Personal Condolences can be posted at www.francisfh.ca
Read Less
To plant a memorial tree in honor of Evelyn Anne HITZEROTH (Wilson), please visit our Heartfelt Sympathies Store.
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Evelyn Anne HITZEROTH Wilson 2022..
Death notice for the town of: Tavistock, Province: Ontario