Evelyn A. Wilcox, 91, of Derry, NH, died Saturday August 31, 2013 at home. She was born in Bell County, TX on October 25, 1921, a daughter of the late Josef and Stefana (Elles) Adamek. She was a resident of Derry for the last 2 1/2 years, after having lived in the New Bedford, MA area since 1946. She was a long time resident of Olympia Towers.
Mrs. Wilcox was a WWII veteran of the Army, where she earned an Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with One Bronze Star for her service in Papua New Guinea. She had been employed by Onboard and the Foster Grandparents Program in New Bedford. After her retirement, she occasionally worked as a private housekeeper.
Mrs. Wilcox was a strict grammarian, faithfully following William Safire's column "On Language" in the New York Times for years, and she was never far from a dictionary. She was an avid reader of The New Yorker, a fashion maven, and a theatre goer. She also enjoyed bicycling until her 70s.
She is survived by four children, Catherine Hickok of Green Bay, WI, Robert Wilcox of Fairhaven, MA, David Wilcox of Dartmouth, MA, and Jonathan Wilcox of Portland, ME; three grandchildren, Deirdre (Hickok) Bridge of Derry, NH; Katie Wilcox of Fairhaven, MA; and Henry Wilcox of Dartmouth, MA; three great grandchildren, Jared Bridge, Aidan Bridge, and Annika Bridge, all of Derry; two siblings, Narcis Arledge of Weatherford, TX, and Franklin Elles of Victoria, TX; and many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by two brothers, Walter and Henry, and two sisters, Lillie Brumbelow and Georgia Doggett.
Following cremation, a graveside service will be held on Monday, September 9th at 1:30pm in the Massachusetts National Cemetery, Connery Ave., Bourne, MA. The Peabody Funeral Homes and Crematorium, 15 Birch St., Derry is assisting the family with arrangements.