Mary Wafayette Evans, 87 of El Dorado, passed away Sunday, February 9, 2025 at Baptist Health Center in Little Rock. Born October 12, 1937 in Zama, MS, she was the daughter of Jessie Everett and Josie Pearl Mundy Stevens.
Mary was the true definition of a gardener, but not just any kind of gardener. Her gardens were a botanical masterpiece. From winning countless prestigious awards to entertaining and hosting you could always find her in her garden with a cup of coffee near by. She lived for the time spent in the garden with the love of her life creating vignettes, patios and their famous fish pond that every child eagerly awaited for the their moment to jump in. Her gardens were her way of spending time with God, because nothing was more important to her than guiding people to the Lord.
She loved people! You could always be assured to hear laughter in her home and to be met with the most scrumptious treats and the world's best hugs. The biggest treat of all, she would always send you away with blooms from her garden.
She served faithfully at her church from teaching, to leading ladies auxiliaries, to beautifully designing weddings in their church. Mary, once again was a gardener at heart. She faithfully amended the soil to make sure each flower had everything it needed to flourish and that was how she was with the people she loved. She strove to make everything around her beautiful. Even though our gardener is no longer here. She left us with a garden full of memories that we will cherish and when the birds chirp and flowers blow in the wind we know she is still here and forever holding our hand amongst the blooms...
Mrs. Evans was the former owner of Gift and Garden Flower Shop and a longtime member of the Norphlet United Pentecostal Church.
Preceding her in death along with her parents were her husband Ronnie Evans, and two brothers, Carroll Stevens and Wayne Stevens.
Survivors include her daughter, Rhonda Evans, granddaughter, Kenzie Hale and great-grandchildren, Parker and Aspyn Hale all of El Dorado along with a sister, Jan Mooney (Floyd) of Cabot, AR.
Visitation will be held from 1:00 p.m., Friday, February 14, 2025 at Norphlet United Pentecostal Church with funeral services to follow at 2:00 p.m. with Rev. Nathan Dupree officiating. Interment will follow in Arlington Memorial Park in El Dorado under the direction of Young's Funeral Directors.
Memorials may be made to Norphlet United Pentecostal Church, P. O. Box 7, Norphlet, AR 71759.
Online condolences may be expressed at www.youngsfuneralhome.com for the Evans family.
