Evelyn Winward

Our beloved wife, mother, and grandmother passed away after a valiant battle against lung cancer on July 6, 2019. She was 74 years old. Evelyn was born on July 20, 1944 to Alton B Moody and Ruth Leah Isbell in Annapolis, MD. Evelyn was the middle of five children and loved to climb trees and go adventuring. As a child she was known as a “tomboy.” She was also an avid reader throughout her life. She grew up in Camp Springs, MD, graduating from Surrattsville High School in 1962.

She attended Brigham Young University where she met the love of her life, Lawrence Morris Winward. They were married on September 2, 1967. She and Larry had 51 wonderful years together. They have set an example of a loving and caring marriage.

In the last decade, Evelyn and Larry were able to travel to Italy several times. Evelyn loved all things Italian—the food, the language, and the people. She and Larry taught themselves Italian and would study Il Libro Di Mormon (Italian Book of Mormon) together each night.

Evelyn always had an interest in family history and for many years was quite active in indexing handwritten genealogical records and converting them to digital format. She was an expert in this arena, and many came to her for help and advice when faced with difficult situations. Her enthusiasm for this important task was contagious, and she shared her passion with some of her grandchildren and even held competitions with them to see who could index the most records in a given time.

Evelyn was beautiful inside and out. She was warm and gracious, and anyone who interacted with her was made to feel important and loved. She had an uncanny gift for remembering names and events that were important to others. She loved corny jokes, especially puns. She loved her family fiercely but loved her Savior and Heavenly Father even more. She had a tender heart and was often touched by things of a spiritual nature, including music.

Evelyn is survived by husband, Larry; children, Michelle (Steve) Johnson, Jenny (Tosh) Black, and Paul (Christine Wilcox) Winward; and 12 grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents and a son, Peter Lawrence Winward.

A viewing will be held Friday, July 12 th , 6-8 p.m. at Bunker’s University Chapel, 3529 E. University Drive, Mesa, AZ 85213. The funeral will be held Saturday, July 13 th , 11 a.m., at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1852 N. Stapley Dr., Mesa, AZ 85203. Prior to the funeral there will be a viewing from 10:00-10:45 a.m.