Evelyn J. Fleming

Evelyn J. Fleming, 84, of South Sioux City, passed away Monday, May 24, 2021 at home with family present.  A memorial service will be 2:00 P.M. Saturday, June 5, 2021 at Mohr & Becker-Hunt Funeral Home.  Visitation will be one hour prior to the service time.  

Evelyn was born the daughter of Roman and Violet (Campbell) Winters on August 17, 1936 in Sioux City, Iowa.  She married Thomas J. Fleming on December 12, 1952.  To this union seven children were born.  She had also used the alias names of Mrs. Ralph Hicks and Mrs. Ed Leopold later in life.  Her favorite alias name though was Mrs. Huxley, which is the one she gave herself, like a pen name except she never wrote a book.

Evelyn was employed by IBP for almost 40 years, her last position was in Maintenance Supply, retiring in 2004.  After retirement, she became a Master Gardener with the County Extension even though she had spent over 7 decades growing, hybridizing and propagating flowers and vegetables.  She lined her pantry with canning jars full of home-grown vegetables and fruits from her yard each fall, a labor of love.

She was an amazing seamstress and upholsterer, teaching many of her kids this art, plus it was free labor. She was a great mentor with a crazy sense of humor.  She also enjoyed animals and raised thousands of birds; people came from as far as Texas to buy her hand raised birds.

Evelyn is survived by her children, Kathy Wilke (Don March) of Hudson, SD, Danny (Judy) Fleming of Elk Point, SD, Peggy (Dave) Otterpohl of Sioux City, Debby (Jim) Carson of Sioux City, and Tommy Fleming of Moss Point, Mississippi; sisters, Cathy, Helen, and Sandy; 15 grandchildren, 32 great-grandchildren, and 13 great-great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents; two children in infancy, Ronnie and Connie; brother, Richard; and great-great-granddaughter, Mattie Mae.