Tribute

Evelena was born April 23, 1933 in Four Corners, Saskatchewan and passed away January 16, 2023 in Penticton, BC.  Evelena was the fourth of eight children born to Wilhelm (Bill) and Maria (Mary) Zacharias.   On December 14, 1952, she married Glen Timmer after meeting him at church in youth group in their farming community near Meadow Lake.  They lived in northern Saskatchewan, moving around to different places for Glen’s work as a grain elevator agent.  They were blessed with three daughters, Ann, Linda and Sheryl.  The family eventually returned to Meadow Lake and then to the Bluebell, where they took up farming on the Timmer family homestead.  She ran her busy household and met all the many challenges of life on the farm.

In 1975, Evelena and Glen moved to Prince George where she took on an additional role as grandmother. They were heavily involved in church life, and she taught Sunday school for many years.  She and Glen enjoyed the outdoors, travelling, camping and going on fishing trips.

Glen died in 1990, and Evelena instantly became a businesswoman, taking on the full responsibilities of managing rental properties.  After the shock of the loss, she found joy in travelling with her sisters and friends, and being with her girls and grandchildren. In 1999, she built a cabin at Summit Lake and spent many hours on the lake in her paddleboat, and playing board games.

In 2008, Evelena moved to Abbotsford.  The years spent there were filled with social activities, being close to two of her sisters and being a part of the canasta ladies group.  She treasured the friendships she made and her busy social life. Evelena loved her family and enjoyed traveling to visit them.  This took her back to Saskatchewan, to the Fraser Valley and to Vancouver Island.  She also enjoyed many warm weather vacations taken with family and friends to Mexico, California, Hawaii, Arizona and even Australia.

In 2014, she decided to move to Okanagan Falls and build a house on the lot next door to her daughter Ann.  She thoroughly enjoyed the process and even had cameras mounted so she could monitor the progress on her iPad even while on vacation in Mexico.

Evelena had a deep, quiet faith in Jesus Christ.  He was her hope and strength.  It was a joy for her to sing of His faithfulness and the promise of eternal life.

We will treasure the memory of GG’s love of high heeled shoes, sparkly things, shopping, baking pies, a competitive round of cards, and singing hymns.

Evelena is survived by her daughters, Ann (Tedd) Howard, Linda (Dave) Martens and Sheryl (Steve) Thompson, eight grandchildren and thirteen great grandchildren.  She is also survived by three sisters, Leona Andres, Norma Thiessen and Sharon Zacharias and brother, Henry Zacharias.  She was predeceased by her husband, Glen, her grandson, Timothy Thompson, sister Marie Thiessen and brothers Joe Zacharias and Corny Zacharias.