Eyvonne was born in Turtle Lake, North Dakota on May 4, 1918 to the parents of Adolph Isaacson and Wilhelmina (Mimmie) Aschnewitz Isaacson. Eyvonne attended a one room school with no indoor plumbing with 12 other students until the 8th grade; she then continued her education at the high school in Underwood, ND, graduating in 1936. Eyvonne grew up with 6 brothers and sisters: Olive, Ervin, Gladys, Myrtle, Estella, Howard who all preceded her in death.
After graduating high school Eyvonne took the train to Ellensburg, WA where her sister Gladys also lived. She found a job as a house keeper making $20 per month and was able to save enough money to enroll in St. Elizabeth School of Nursing in Yakima in 1937. This was a three-year, twelve-months-a-year program and is where she met her lifelong friend Mildred Schroeder. Upon graduating she continued to work there as a Nursing Supervisor of Surgery. During this time she cared for a handsome patient Al Perrault, who later became her husband on May 30, 1940. They were married 55 years before Al passed in 1995.
At the beginning of WWII Eyvonne and Al were visiting Western WA when Al took a job for Pacific Car & Foundry. They moved the family, that had grown to include 2 children, Judie and Patti, to Renton as one of the first families to move into the Renton Highlands. In 1946 the family moved to Madrona area of Seattle where Mary Ellen and Tom where born. In 1948 Eyvonne went to work at Group Health when it first opened and to this day you can still see her smiling face in a framed photo on the walls of the hospital. In 1952 the family moved to Othello, WA, where she worked for 13 years running the only clinic in town. She knew everyone in town and loved caring for and feeding each one individually, including a young man named Mick who she met at the clinic and a young Air Force man she fed, Terry who both later became her son-in-laws.
The family moved back to the west side of the state to the Medina area in 1965 where Eyvonne went back to work for Group Health on Capitol Hill and retired in 1976 from being a paid nurse, but once a nurse always a nurse, especially to her children. Upon retirement, Eyvonne and Al moved to the Arlington area, where she lived for over 41 years. While in her early 90’s Eyvonne found love again in companion Ed Hoople, whom she enjoyed taking rides up Chuckanut Drive in his truck while sitting in the middle of the bench seat snuggled next to Ed.
Eyvonne has been a faithful member of the Arlington Immaculate Conception Catholic Church for over 40 years; she enjoyed daily mass and greeting everyone that came to church with a welcoming smile and a much needed hug. Many times you would find Eyvonne volunteering as the dishwasher at church meals or sitting and listen to someone’s life story with a smile and a caring touch. She was also an active member and volunteer at the Stilly Senior Center for many years and continued to volunteer for the monthly Chicken Dinners until this past year and was proud to be the Wii bowling champion with a score of 268. Eyvonne loved her independence to perform her many shopping and volunteer activities and when her sight became an issue so many friends and family including Frank Towlsey became a great chauffer and caregiver to help her keep that freedom even at 98 years old.
Eyvonne had an adventurous soul and was up for so many things including traveling twice via motor home to Alaska to fish on the Kenai River with daughter Patti, riding as a passenger on a motorcycle driven by her son Tom, spending her children’s inheritance on the penny machine at the local casino with daughter MaryEllen, to traveling back to North Dakota for an extended visit to show her heritage to her daughter Judie. She even joined all the ladies of the family in 2005 for a grandson’s wedding in Las Vegas, where truly what happens in Vegas with an 87 year old stays burned in everyone’s memory!!
Words that are reminisce of Eyvonne…nurse of body and soul, family, faith, good-humored, observant, bold, meat pies, belly sinkers, food pusher, fishing, queen of Kings in the Corner, kissing the head of every new great great grandbaby, buying a gift form the baby stroller reviews to each one of them, holding hands (while she secretly took your pulse), smiles, aging backwards, Mother, Mom, Grandma, Grams, Great Grandma, Great Great, Friend, Aunt and now Angel…
Eyvonne leaves behind a very large family of:
4 children, 11 grandchildren, 17 great grandchildren and 8 great great grandchildren along with spouses and extended family members.
Daughter: Judie Marie Doiron (Husband Terry Doiron)
Steven Doiron
Nichole Doiron
Mike Doiron
Michelle Doiron
Alex Wilson (husband Josh)
Eva Marie and Gabriel
Greg Doiron (wife Verree)
Jonny Doiron (wife Karen)
Noah, Jacob, JoviAnne
Mat Doiron (fiancé Katrina)
Sarah Little (husband Evan)
Madison and John
Katie Doiron
Jenifer Doiron
Angela Strecker (husband Mark)
Glen Strecker (wife Carlie)
Sheila Strecker
Daughter: Patti Ann St. Luise (husband Mick)
Mark St. Luise (partner Lorilee)
Brittany Lawrence
Cindy St. Luise
Trisha Stender (husband Dave)
Tyler Stender (fiancé Emily)
Thea Stender (partner Adam)
Daughter: Mary Ellen Ford
Cynthia Hale (husband Steve)
Josh Sampson (wife Sarah)
Benjamin
Dayle Bates
Lindsey Bates
Jaret Hale
Tara Ross (husband Tom)
Conner Ross
Jacob Ross
Son: Tom Al Perrault (wife Karen)
Todd Perrault (wife Tabetha)
Clint Perrault (partner Claire)