Evelyn Caroline Hale, 89, passed away peacefully in her home in Bolivar, Missouri, surrounded by loved ones on October 1, 2026.  Evelyn was born on September 13, 1937 in Buffalo, Missouri.  She attended school in Buffalo and joined the Mount Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church in 1949.  Evelyn was saved at the young age of 12.  She maintained a strong faith and always put God first in her life.  She married her loving husband, Orlan Hale, on September 22, 1956.  Together, they had 5 strong, loving, devoted children:  Donna, Rick, Randy Lee, Rhonda, and Rodney.

Evelyn worked at Woods Supermarket in Bolivar, Missouri, and retired after 30 years of dedicated service.  It was then that Evelyn decided to pursue her true passion, cooking for others.  She owned several restaurants and each one served as a beautiful display of her undeniable talent for cooking and baking.  Nothing brought her more joy than seeing her friends and family gather to enjoy a home cooked meal.  Mom’s Deli was always filled with laughter and friendship.  Her meals were made with love, and feeding others was one of the many ways she showed how deeply she cared.  Her kitchen was a place filled with happiness, good food, stories, and memories that will never be forgotten.  The members of the Bolivar Police Department were regulars at Mom’s Deli, and she loved to take care of those who served and protected our town.  She certainly had a special relationship with the men and women in blue.  She fed our community for 50 years with unwavering devotion and kindness.

Nothing was more important to Evelyn than her family, and you will never find someone more loyal and devoted to their family than Evelyn Hale.  She was the perfect embodiment of a true matriarch, not only in her family, but in the community.  She was a stranger to no one, whether you knew her or not.  She fiercely protected the ones she loved, but would also go above and beyond to help someone she just met.  She was the quintessential Grandma, someone you could always turn to for advice…and for pie.  A piece of Evelyn’s pie, served with her warm and beautiful smile, could turn the worst of days into the best of days.  Evelyn displayed an incredible amount of strength and resilience.  Despite many hardships she faced, including the loss of her two loving sons, her siblings, and her husband, she kept her family together with grace, faith, and love.

In her final days on earth, she was not afraid.  She was completely at peace, because she knew that she had received the gift of salvation at an early age.  She comforted her family in a way that only “Granny” can. She reflected on what a beautiful life she had lived, and that she would live on in the lives of her children, grand-children, and great grandchildren.  She was ready to meet the Lord and be reunited with her loved ones.

Evelyn is preceded in death by her parents Joe and Lettie (Dalton) Turner; husband Orlan Hale; sons Randy and Rodney Hale; sisters Faye Howe, Chloe Adams, Wanda Skinner, Betty Rogers; brothers Bobby Wayne Turner, Billy Joe Turner, and James Turner.  She is survived by her: brother in law Carl Hale of Bolivar, MO; daughter in law Millie Hale-Gilbert, Boliver, Mo;  2 daughters Donna Neal and Rhonda Jasper of Bolivar, MO; son Rick (Pam) Hale of Concordia, MO; 11 grandchildren: Ashley Neal, Austin (Tina) Neal, Tyler Hale, Tauri (Luke) Davis, Heather Bradt Kingsley, Brock Hale, Brooke (Chris) Dunbar, Kyle (Anna) Jasper, Joey Jasper, Chris Jasper, and Turner Hale; 15 great grandchildren and 4 great great grandchildren.