Evelyn Carlisle Yates
Celebration of Life

Evelyn Martin Davis Carlisle Yates (née Perryman), a cherished member of the Silver City community and matriarch, passed away on September 5, 2022, at 1:23 pm, at the age of 98. Born on May 25, 1924, in the vicinity of Myra, Cooke County, Texas, Evelyn led a full and vibrant life marked by her passions and the deep connections she forged with those around her. Please join her Grandchildren in celebrating and honoring Evelyn Carlisle Yates based on what we have been able to piece together from our family's history.

Evelyn was preceded in death by her parents, Oscar Dennis Perryman Sr and Margaret Martin Perryman; her siblings and their spouses, Mary Perryman (James) Rankin; Oscar Dennis Perryman Jr (Wyvonne). Norma Perryman (Jack) Edwards; her three husbands, Dewey H Davis Jr. (M: 1939), Howard Victor Carlisle (M: 1948 – 1967), and Thurman Yates (M: 1970 – 1993); daughter, Deanna Louise Davis Carlisle Lewis Brumley; son, Richard Donnell Davis Carlisle and daughter-in-law, Joyce Carlisle; sons-in-law, Kenneth Lewis, Gene Ridgaway and Royce Brumley; and grandson, Gary E Lewis. She suffered the loss of five pregnancies with Vic Carlisle before their daughter was born.

Surviving Evelyn is her daughter, Vicky Lynn Ridgaway of Silver City/Datil, NM; grandsons Ronald Lewis of Bailey, CO, Raymond Lewis (Shannon) of Lubbock, TX, Howie Lewis (Makai) of Rio Linda, CA, Rick Carlisle (Amanda) of Bastrop, TX, and Toby Laney; granddaughters Janet Sinclair (Byron) of Temple, TX, Tonia Wood (Eric) of Georgetown, TX, Lisa Wimberly (David) of Waco, TX, Teresa Harris (Brandon) of Waco, TX, and Victoria Ricks Jennings. Evelyn leaves a legacy of generations to include at least 17 great-grandchildren, 14 great-great-grandchildren (one named Evelyn), and one great-great-great-grandson. Even though Evelyn did not have children with Thurman, she leaves behind an unknown number of Yates descendants. She also leaves behind numerous nephews, nieces, life-long friends and colleagues.

For the past few years of her life, Evelyn lived at the Sunset Vista Adult Residential Care facility in Silver City, NM. She was hard of hearing and going blind but still communicating with those around her and pulling those in close to see and hug. She was loved and respected by the administration and staff at the facility and held court in the gardens outside the facility with friends and family. She used a walker due to foot damage from frostbite. Overall, Evelyn's health was well when several of the Texas granddaughters visited her during Spring Break in March of 2022.

Evelyn passed peacefully surrounded by loved ones with Episcopalian last rites observed. She was cremated by Baca's Funeral Chapel in Silver City, NM, and her ashes are most likely with her daughter or scattered at the Flying C Ranch in Catron County. Her birth and death will be memorialized in the resting place beside Howard Victor Carlisle at Lamesa Memorial Park aka Dawson County Cemetery in Lamesa, Texas.

Evelyn accomplished many remarkable things during her lifetime. During World War II, she welded tankers at the Kaiser Company Shipyards in Portland, Oregon. She earned a beauty license early in life and worked as a beauty operator at Friendly Beauty Shop in Lamesa, TX. She admired Amelia Earhart and so obtained a pilot's license at the old Hobbs Army Airfield Glider Base in the spring of 1955.

Vic and Evelyn Carlisle owned and operated the Carlisle Mattress Company in Lamesa, TX. At the time of Vic's death in 1967, the business was moved to Albuquerque, NM and was run by her son until it was sold. Vic and Evelyn acquired the Flying C Ranch in Catron County, NM in approximately 1965.
She shared her love of flying with third husband Thurman Yates and over the years, spent time at both the ranch and Thurman's family home in Pinos Altos, backed up against the Gila National Forest above Silver City.

Her biggest passion and commitment for over 40 years was to Agriculture. She became a moving force in the New Mexico and National CowBelle organizations serving as an officer many times at the county and state levels. She was on the NM Beef Council and NM Cattle Growers Association boards. She served on the American CowBelle Board of Directors. She worked at four National Beef Cook-offs and at the NM State Fair CowBelle Booth. She served 3 terms as President of the Grant County CowBelles and 2 terms for the Sacaton CowBelles. She was voted CowBelle of the Year by NM CowBelles and recognized as a Diamond in the Rough at the Women of Agriculture Leadership conference.

She entered politics when she was appointed by Governor Bruce King to serve out an unexpired term as Justice of the Peace and was re-elected in that position. The Governor also appointed her to complete the term of her second husband Vic Carlisle's position as Catron County Treasurer and she was re-elected. She served for 16 years on the Southwest Water Association and other water boards, served on the Resource Development Council for three years and served as the secretary of the Economic Development Committee for 7 years.

Evelyn's hobbies and interests painted the picture of a woman deeply connected to the earth. An avid gardener, she traded seeds from her garden with her pen pal Shannon and anyone who wanted to trade seeds. She planted and tended roses in memory of those that had passed on. Her crochet and knitting skills were lovingly displayed in the potholders she crafted for her grandchildren, as well as baby blankets and shawls. She was a member of the Baby Blanket Project with her church that sent blankets to both Africa and Honduras. She was known for her jellies and jams, fruit or rum cakes and candy, as well as applesauce and canned purple plums.

She was always willing to learn and in 1993-1994 took 2 courses at Western New Mexico University in Silver City, earning a 4.0 in Basic Welding & Pipe Fitting. Sometime after 2014, she took one semester course of "Tai Chi" at WNMU "trying to strengthen my bone density and muscle tone. Its working & I'm losing weight."

Evelyn also cherished keeping in touch with her family through letters, photos, and news clippings, ensuring her legacy and memory were preserved across generations. She signed her letters to us in some variation of "Grandmother" and that is what we called her. "Grandma" seemed too informal for such a stately woman, but there are a couple of recent letters signed as Grandma Evelyn Carlisle Yates, so maybe she mellowed over the years as newer generations came along…
A seasoned traveler, Evelyn took a trip to Paris, France with friend Mauricette in 1993 and 1994, to help her friend find and connect with her French relatives. On several occasions (2003, 2011, 2014), she arrived in Texas on short notice for a wedding or funeral.

She was a strong woman and mentor making headlines in a man's world. She was mentioned in the July 2011 edition of the New Mexico Stockman, the Magazine of Southwestern Agriculture as well as the Grant County Beat on several occasions. She was written about when rescued from the side of a mountain after getting caught for several days in a snowstorm. She was resourceful and survived but not without some frostbite on her toes. A letter from her in 2004 stated "I still believe the greatest achievement of my life has been to be a woman, wife, mother, nurturer, teacher and friend." And in 2015 she wrote, "It's amazing how much we (as women) can manage to do when we are raising families."

Evelyn was a devout Christian with a strong sense of community. She attended the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in Silver City, NM for most of her years prior to moving to the Residential Care facility. She was committed to praying for others; especially her children and grandchildren, even though we may not have known it at the time. For over 60 years, she was a member of the Rebekah Assembly of New Mexico, moving her membership from Silver City to Hobbs, NM in 2000 after the death of Deanna and established a Memorial Scholarship Fund in her memory. Evelyn was also a member of the Order of the Eastern Star, a social order comprised of people with spiritual values.

The family wishes to thank the Grant County CowBelles for their love and concern and the Grant County Beat editor, Mary Alice Murphy, for publishing the August 2023 article that led us on our journey of remembering and celebrating her life. Our Grandmother was not without fault and there are anecdotes from her lifetime that reflect this truth. Everyone had their own experiences with Evelyn which makes each of our relationships with her unique, with no two relationships alike. We will miss her spunky spirit and will remember her with all the love she deserves, including the knowledge that she loved us all.

A Celebration of Life for Evelyn Carlisle Yates will be held on Saturday, September 14, 2024, at 12 noon at the Home2Suites by Hilton Lubbock Conference Room, located at 6004 Marsha Sharp Fwy W, Lubbock, TX.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be sent to the New Mexico Cowbelles Memorial Scholarship Fund.