Evelyn Virginia Hagstrom Varon, the eldest child of a pioneer South Whidbey family passed away peacefully on July 19, 2007.

Evelyn was born on July 11, 1921 to David and Kathrine (Moi) Hagstrom in Seattle. Evelyn grew up on the family homestead on Swede Hill Road. During her formative years, the Pioneer Poultry Farm had up to 5,000 laying hens.

After graduating form Langley High School in 1938 she left the Island to make her mark in the big city of Seattle.

While working at Glendale Golf Course, she met and fell in love with the Hansen’s bakery deliveryman, Ben Varon. They eloped and married in Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho on Oct. 12, 1942.

Since Ben was in the service, they traveled to several stations throughout the United States. When Ben was shipped out to London in early 1944, Evelyn came back to Whidbey Island so that her only child, James, could be born in Seattle. She remained at the family home until Ben returned from the Army in late 1945.

In 1953 Evelyn and Ben purchased the Village Inn Café in Lake City and grew it into a thriving business until they sold it in 1967.

During that time, she also was the owner of the Village Auto Sales. Thereafter, Evelyn was employed by Alaska Steamship and then became office manager for several shipping companies until she retired in 1986. In 1954 she designed and supervised the building of her house in the Wedgwood district of Seattle.

Upon retirement, she sold her Seattle home and returned to the most beautiful place on earth, Whidbey Island.

Having previously purchased the family home her father, David, had built in 1914, she lived on Swede Hill Road until 1997, when she sold the property and moved into her brand new home in Sandy Hook.

Evelyn was very proud of her Scandinavian heritage. In 1955 she traveled to Norway with her mother, Kathrine, and son, Jim, to celebrate the 80th birthday of her grandmother, Malina Moi. She was proud that the eldest of four generations were able to be together for the first time. She made several other trips to Norway and Sweden after she retired. The highlight of one such trip was locating her father’s birth home with the assistance of the local police in Granna, Sweden.

In 2001, just before her 80th birthday, Evelyn and her three sisters were the grand marshals of the Maxwelton July 4th Parade.

She was a member of the Ester Moi lodge of the Daughters of Norway and the South Whidbey Historical Society, volunteering as a docent for many years until her health began to decline. During the 1990s she was involved in the South Whidbey Senior Services writing class and wrote and published her autobiography.

Evelyn was a strong willed, forceful lady who never felt an obstacle was too high to climb or too difficult to overcome. She was a loyal daughter, great wife, wonderful mother, grandmother and great grandmother and loving sister. She will be missed by all who were touched by her.

She was predeceased in death by her mother and father; Ben; her three half brothers, Clarence, Milton and Clifford; her half sister, Frances Hutchinson.

She is survived by her son, Jim and daughter-in-law, Stephanie, of Chandler, Ariz. and Whidbey Island; three granddaughters, Amie (Lance) Ludwig of Heath, Texas and Megan and Kristin Varon of Chandler; a great-granddaughter, Elise Sydney Ludwig; sisters, Jean (Henry) Bakken of Seattle, Alice Cydell of San Diego, Calif. and Whidbey Island and Marlene (Carl) Nielsen of Bellingham; sister-in law Audrey Hagstrom of Langley; and numerous nieces and nephews.

The family deeply appreciates the care the staff at Your Home on the Harbor provided to Evelyn during the last 10 months of her life.

A celebration of her life will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 12 at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Clinton. All are welcome to attend.

In lieu of flowers, make a donation to the South Whidbey Historical Society, the Daughters of Norway, the American Cancer Society or your favorite charity.