Obituary: Winifred "Wyn" (Bourke) Everman - Class of 1925

BEAVER DAM - Winifred "Wyn" Everman, age 101, died Saturday, May 23, 2009, at Hillside Manor in Beaver Dam. The former Winifred Margaret Bourke was born on Nov. 29, 1907, in Madison to the late John L. and Gertrude M. (Carey) Bourke. The Bourke family members were pioneers in Madison and were active in city politics in the late 1800s and early 1900s. In 1925, she graduated from Madison Central High School where she had been president of the Girls Athletic Association. Wyn loved sports and was an avid Badgers and Packers fan. In fact, she was at Lambeau field to see Vince Lombardi's first win. While she lived in Madison, she was proud to work for the Neckerman Insurance Agency and she had been a member of St. Raphael's Court No. 118 of the Women's Catholic Order of the Foresters. In 1954, she moved to Beaver Dam where she was a member of St. Patrick's Catholic Church and had been active in the Christian Women. Wyn was also proud to have served as the first lady of the Wisconsin Elks Association. Survivors include her son, Don (Patricia) Everman of Beaver Dam; her daughter-in-law, Angeline Everman of Plover; three grandchildren, Jack (Alexandra) Everman, Rob (Kareen) Everman, and Christine (Bruce) Hollar; seven great-grandchildren; and other relatives and friends. Wyn was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; a son, John Everman; two sisters, Alice Lorenz and Betty Doyle; and a brother, Tom Bourke. Visitation for Wyn will be at ST. KATHARINE DREXEL CHURCH, 127 W. Maple Ave. in Beaver Dam on Friday, May 29, 2009, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will follow at church on Friday, beginning at 11 a.m. Father Charles Scheuerell will officiate. Burial will be in St. Patrick's Cemetery in Beaver Dam. The family suggests that memorials be made in Winifred M. Everman's name to the St. Katharine Drexel Conference of the St. Vincent DePaul Society, 131 W. Maple Ave., Beaver Dam, WI 53916. The family wishes to extend their gratitude to the following people: the staff on the second floor of Hillside Manor's Hillcrest Home Wing where Wyn was a resident for over two years, the nurses at Hillside Hospice, Dr. Jeremy Jaskunas, and to Sr. Priscilla Weber, FSM, the parish nurse at St. James Catholic Parish in Madison who often visited Wyn at her home. Murray Funeral Home Beaver Dam (920) 885-6600

Originally published in the Wisconsin State Journal on May 26, 2009