Evelyn Frances Gadd's Obituary
Evelyn Frances Gadd, 100, of St. Petersburg, FL, passed away November 2, 2023. She was born April 15, 1923 in Honeydew, West Virginia to Lee and Edna May (Lester) Osborne. Preceded in death by her husband, Clyde "Casey" Gadd and her son, Kenny Gadd. Survivors include her daughter, Peggy Richter; son, Dennis Gadd; grandson, Tony Spinner, and wife Joyce; grandson, Mike Gadd, and wife Terri; grandson, Steve Gadd, and wife, Ayda; grandson, Jeff Gadd, plus three great-grandchildren Aslan, Amanda, and Joel.
Frances was born and raised in small coal mining towns in West Virginia. When she was about 11, her family moved to Duo. She helped her mother, Edna, raise her four younger siblings while her father, Lee, worked in the coal mines. It was a hard life.
While living in Duo, at 12 years of age, she met a dashing young man who was 19 by the name of Casey Gadd. She was destined to marry him. After graduation, she married Casey in 1942. Little did she know that would change her life in the hills of West Virginia to become the wife of a career military man and see places she never dreamed of.
They had many different postings over the years, moving every four years, setting up a new household each time. The most exotic places being the Philippines and Hawaii. She lived in the middle of the pineapple fields with the other military families. It was a true island paradise at the time.
She had many adventures relocating to join Casey, dragging two young children in tow. She once had to get from West Virginia to San Francisco to catch a military ship to travel to the Philippines. Imagine caring for two seasick kids traveling 26 days at sea during a huge storm.
She worked many jobs to help support the family while Casey was away during the war and at various postings until they could finally be together. She worked at the Greyhound Bus Terminal Restaurant in Charleston, WVA. She had a story about waiting on Tex Ritter and his friends and only getting a 25 cent tip. She was not a fan after that. She worked in the Yorktown Navy area for an engineering and construction company as a stenographer for 35 men. She worked in the accounting department for the telephone company in El Paso.
When Casey received orders for Turkey in 1964, he decided it was time to retire. They made one last move to their permanent home in St. Petersburg, Florida.
They discovered the joys of taking cruises late in life and included family in many wonderful trips such as Hawaii, Alaska, Bahamas, and Panama.
Frances and Casey made many wonderful memories together over the years. They both said they had a good life and enjoyed the simple things.
Once Casey passed in 2011, Frances continued to enjoy the simple things. She made daily trips to her favorite spa for years to swim laps in the pool and visit with her friends in the hot tub. She continued to live in her home, do her own shopping at Winn Dixie, go to the Dollar Store and get her bargains, get her hair done at Fantastic Sam’s, and go to her church to see her friends. She enjoyed working in her puzzle book and watching Antiques Road Show imagining what treasures she had in her home. Life was good.
After falling and breaking a hip in 2020, Frances relocated to Zephyrhills, FL. She recovered with flying colors and began a new life in her apartment at American House.
Frances will be missed by her family and friends. We were lucky to have her for one hundred years.
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