Evelyn Jewell Blackwell of Parkersburg, West Virginia, originally from Lexington, Mississippi, passed from this life on Sunday, August 22, 2021 at the age of 92. She was born January 9, 1929, to the late Titus Bruce and Bessie Lucinda Lehman of Lexington, Mississippi. A visitation will be held on Saturday, August 28, 2021 from 10:00-11:00 a.m. at Boone Funeral Home, Greenville, MS. Burial will take place at noon at County Line Cemetery in Glen Allan, MS.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 65 years, Roy Blackwell Sr., by brothers James Lehman and Otis Lehman and by sisters Katherine Russell and Margaret Ranneskog.
Evelyn is survived by her brother Tony Lehman of Alba, TX, daughter Diane Caron of Arlington, TX and sons Roy Blackwell Jr (Teri) of Washington, WV and David Blackwell of Mancos, CO. She had 11 grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren.
Evelyn loved reading, loved collecting vintage books, and loved history, especially family history. Highly intelligent, she was self-taught on computers and smartphones. She had vivid memories of her childhood in the town of Lexington, Mississippi during the Depression era and through the World War II years. She could recall the hardships of life during those years and the loss of her brother James who was killed in action, May 1944 in Italy. She gathered her memories into a series of family history binders, photos, and computer documents.
Evelyn was a 1947 graduate of Lexington High School. Evelyn and Roy were married in 1948 in Greenville, Mississippi. She raised her family there with Roy. Following a back injury to Roy in the mid-1960s, they moved around for several years. They returned to Mississippi in 1975 and bought a house in Glen Allan. After Roy had a brush with cancer in 1991, they again moved around for a few years eventually returning to Greenville, Mississippi in 1997. Following Roy’s passing in 2012, Evelyn continued to live in Greenville. After recovering from a fall in January 2018, she moved to Parkersburg, West Virginia with the aid of her son Roy Jr. While in Parkersburg she continued reading and pursuing a keen interest in vintage books and family history.
Evelyn and Roy, while living in Glen Allan, Mississippi were members of Lake Washington Baptist Church. She often said in her later years, “God must have a purpose for me as I am still here.” Evelyn was a sweet, kind, and loving person.