Evelyn Bossman

Evelyn Bossman, 99 formerly of Lennox died Friday, July 7, 2017 at the Primrose Assisted Living, Sioux Falls. Funeral services will be at 11:00am Friday, July 14, 2017 at the Ebenezer Presbyterian Church, Lennox. Visitation with family present will be from 5-7pm Thursday evening at the church. Evelyn Javers Bossman was born on February 27, 1918 in Lennox, SD to Peter W. and Aileen Javers. A 1937 graduate of Lennox High School she married Elroy Bossman on December 16, 1938 in Lennox and they made their home on a farm south of Lennox. In 1979 they built their retirement home on the farm acreage and she resided there until 2012 when she moved to Primrose Assisted Living in Sioux Falls. Evelyn worked side by side with Elroy on the dairy farm. When they were first married she bargained that if Elroy taught her to drive the 1931 Chevrolet she would help with milking. Her favorite job on the farm was getting on the tractor and heading to the field. They also were caretakers of the Lennox Cemetery and mowing was her specialty. That love for cutting grass continued on their 3 acres until she was 95 years old. In addition to those endeavors they also owned a small business, The Dairyette. One of Elroy and Evelyn’s pastimes in retirement years was collecting antiques. The love to preserving the past was important to them and led them to membership in the Lennox Area Historical Society. Caring for seven children was Evelyn’s primary job. Every year there was a big garden on the farm and everything was harvested for summer meals or preserved for the winter months. Crocks of pickles, jars of snipple beans, applesauce with peaches and frozen sweet corn were favorites of the family. Who can forget the smell of lard being rendered for use in fried foods and a great pie crust? Evelyn was a great cook and collected piles of recipes cut out of various publications and also had a big collection of cookbooks. The love of cooking led to cooking jobs at the Good Samaritan Home in Lennox and the Good Sam in Sioux Falls. Armed with this background and passion she was known to give cooking advice. One of Evelyn’s special talents was with flowers. She had a great knowledge of how to grow and where to grow annuals and perennials. This interest was fostered when she helped her parents in the Lennox Greenhouse. She would be found in the greenhouse with her Dad planting and selling while her sisters were in the main shop arranging and selling with their Mother. When Evelyn wasn’t cooking or gardening she was crocheting. She was never afraid to tackle a new pattern and then work until she figured it out. Her family and friends were recipients of blankets, doilies, Christmas ornaments, and a variety of other items. She also was great on using the sewing machine and her daughters had new dresses for the Christmas Eve children’s program every year even if the hem was completed just before exiting the house. Evelyn’s favorite sport was playing card games. It did not matter if it was Hand and Foot, Spaghetti Rummy, 500, Garbage or Up and Down the River she was in it to win it. She loved the competition with her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren and still played only weeks before her death. Ebenezer Presbyterian Church was Evelyn’s church home. In her early years she sang with a trio, taught Sunday school and managed the children in the back pew. She was a faithful member of the Women’s Association and volunteered with her sister Janet at the Ebenezer Food Pantry. She was very committed to the food pantry service and therefore her decision to designate it for memorial monies. Evelyn’s body may have aged in her advancing years but her mind and spirit stayed strong. She loved and was greatly loved by her family. Her children and spouses that celebrate her life; Maxine Bossman, Davis, Carol and Don Bogaards, Columbus, OH, Ruth Poppens, Sioux Falls, Virginia and John Miller, Henderson, MN, Mary and Wayne Kuper, Lennox, Duane and Deb Bossman, Toledo, IA, and Paul and Karen Bossman, Lennox; 20 grandchildren, 39 great grandchildren, and a great great grandchild; a sister Lila Jean Tiede, Kimball; and several nieces, nephews, and many friends. Preceding Evelyn in death was her beloved husband Elroy, son Larry, daughter in law, Faye Bossman, son in law Russell Poppens, grandsons Kelly Kuper and Torin Bossman, and her sister Janet Valentien. Memorials may be directed to the Ebenezer Presbyterian Church Food Pantry.