Evelyn Eunice DeCarli Donovan was born on December 15, 1917, in Ferndale, Humboldt County, California. She was the daughter of Eugenio Felix DeCarli and Letizia Marie Pellascio, who emigrated to the United States in 1914 from Cugnasco and Lavertezzo in Locarno, Canton Ticino, Switzerland. Newly married, they sailed to America aboard the Olympic steamship, one of 3 sister ships that included the Titanic. After clearing immigration at Ellis Island, they traveled by rail across the United States and settled in Ferndale, having been sponsored by Italian Swiss family members who had already established small dairies in the area.

After several years working at the Scotia Redwood Lumber Company, Evelyn's father purchased a small dairy at the onset of the Great Depression. The family lived a self-sufficient life, growing their own fruits, berries, and vegetables, and proudly drinking unpasteurized milk from their beloved Brown Swiss dairy cows. They lived in a modest two-story farmhouse with outside plumbing and a three-digit hand-crank telephone, often dining and reading by candlelight, kerosene lamps, or the glow of the fireplace.

When the weather allowed, the family traveled a very short distance to the Lost Coast and the Eel River Delta to play, fish, and occasionally watch the grunion run on moonlit nights. Faith and family were central to daily life; and attending Mass at the local Catholic church and gathering with friends and relatives were priorities. Winter gatherings, especially Christmas, often included roasting chestnuts by the fire with the Genzoli family, while Mrs. Pifferini was always known for having angel food cake ready for any visitor.

Evelyn was a gifted student. In grammar school, she earned straight A's and advanced directly from 5th grade to 8th grade, skipping both 6th and 7th grades, all while her parents spoke only their Swiss Italian dialect at home until the children were teenagers. She played the trumpet in school, though she often joked about the stubborn finger buttons that never seemed to cooperate.

During high school, Evelyn worked as a page at the local theater, escorting patrons to their seats with a flashlight for 25 cents an hour. She also worked at the Ferndale Creamery as a butter wrapper. Occasionally, her father allowed her to drive the family DeSoto to work, but more often she walked or rode with a neighbor.

In 1940, Evelyn and her friends attended the Humboldt State Fair, where they danced the jitterbug and mambo late into the night to the music of the Xavier Cugat Orchestra and his teenage star, Charo. Around this same time, she worked at Mrs. Patrick's Candy Store in Eureka, where Army boys often tried to distract her so they could sneak chocolates from behind the counter.

Before the start of World War II, Evelyn traveled to San Francisco to live with her sister, Lillian, who had earned her cosmetology license. Evelyn worked first at the National Biscuit Company, making sea rations for the military, and later at the main United States Post Office in San Francisco.

After work, Nana, her sister, and a couple of dear friends would go out to the various clubs and restaurants to relax and dance.  At the Papagayo, a famous Mexican restaurant, atop the Fairmont Hotel, Nana was approached by a Hollywood heartthrob, Cesar Romero, who bought the ladies a drink and sat down to visit.  According to Nana, he was handsome, engaging, and a total gentleman.

During the war years, Nana, Lillian, and a dear friend took a train trip across county to see New York and Niagara Falls and stopped in Chicago to dance at the Aragon Ballroom, which had opened in 1922 and presented live music and the world's largest mirror ball.

In the summer of 1945, Eugene A. Donovan, whom Evelyn had dated before he enlisted and left to serve in what later became Operation Overlord and the Allied invasion of northwest Europe, returned home to Northern California. Gene soon found work managing appliance and floor covering stores in Arcata and Eureka. Evelyn and Gene were married in 1948 at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in Reno, Nevada.

The couple returned to Humboldt County, where Gene built a small redwood cabin as their first home. Soon after, Gene's talent was recognized, and he was recruited to help open a wholesale carpet manufacturing distribution and sales center for Berven Carpets in Fresno, California, supporting the housing boom for returning World War II veterans. Though intended to be only a 6 month move, Evelyn reluctantly agreed to relocate, finding the Central Valley a major contrast to the cool, foggy climate of Ferndale and San Francisco.

They initially lived in a small upstairs apartment near Belmont and Broadway in Fresno's Tower District. After an especially scorching summer, their first and only child, Jim, was born on September 12, 1950. Later that year, Evelyn and Gene purchased a home near Cedar and Clinton, then the northern edge of Fresno, surrounded by agricultural fields. This home became Evelyn's cherished place to raise her family and remained her home for the next 75 years, until her peaceful passing there on December 19, 2025, just days after her 108th birthday.

One of Nana's more memorable excursions was a trip to the Fresno Airport, where she met Frank Sinatra and got a personal tour of the plane that he had chartered to travel with then-Governor Edmund G. Brown.

Nana loved to cook for her family, "cleaning as she cooked,".  In later years, and wanting Jim to be healthy, she would make Tuesday night salmon, couscous, and zucchini dinners, with just one small glass of wine. Nana also loved chocolate chip cookies for after-school treats, and spritz cookies at Christmas.

One of Nana's prized possessions was her 70-year-old rose garden, which she personally and proudly pruned each winter until a couple of years before her passing.

Throughout her life, Evelyn was a loving, loyal, and devoted caregiver to her parents and her sister. Her brother had passed away many years earlier as a teenager. Evelyn possessed an extraordinary memory, a sharp sense of humor, a hopeful outlook, and an indomitable spirit that stayed with her well into her 108th year. She was a great listener and cheerleader, always pleasant and positive, and never vulgar in words, tone, or action. At 99, while she could no longer swing a golf club, she still delighted in putting a golf ball closer to the hole than Jim.

In her later years, Evelyn continued to enjoy life fully. She never missed a family event or party, loved playing the penny slots, and kept up with current events and all the happenings around her. She remained deeply engaged with the world and with those she loved.

Evelyn is survived by her son, Jim, and his wife, Sara. She was a proud and devoted Nana to her grandchildren Melissa, Michelle, Michael, Gina, Joey (who preceded her in death), Ross, and Max, and she cared deeply for the spouses of her grandchildren, welcoming each as part of her family. She was also a loving great grandmother to 18 great grandchildren, and a mentor to her "Sicilian second son", John.

Beyond family ties, Evelyn was truly Nana to everyone who had the honor of knowing her.

Nana was particularly fond of those who came into her home to periodically help with care and socialization, including Rose, Rosa, Susan, Cherline, Samantha, Linda, Barbara, Maria, Sylvia, Lisa, and Katrina.

Having lived through multiple wars, the Spanish Flu, the Great Depression, putting a man on the moon, political and societal controversies, COVID 19, and extraordinary technological change from electricity and modern appliances to telecommunications and computers, Evelyn experienced and witnessed a century of history with grace and resilience.

She will be deeply missed, lovingly remembered, and forever cherished. We love her dearly.

Instead of flowers, the family asks you to consider performing an act of kindness or taking personal time to provide care to a family member or friend, in honor of Evelyn, our beloved Nana.