Obituaries

Anna Evelyn Worm

Photo of Anna Evelyn Worm Photo of Anna Evelyn Worm
Our sweet, beautiful mother Anna Evelyn Worm went home from the hills to eternal life on December 15, 2012, at the age of 88. She was born May 29, 1924 in Conway, Arkansas, the first child of Fannie Lillian Brakebill and her husband Roy Penn Irby. Before Evelyn was 3 years old, her mother died shortly after giving birth to a son, Kenneth Wayne Irby. Both Evelyn and Kenneth were raised by her mother's oldest sister Annie McCrae and her husband, John in Conway. She is preceded in death by her parents; Aunt Annie & Uncle John, brothers Kenneth, Robert and Glen Irby and husband, Frederick Joseph Worm. She is survived by five daughters, two sons, and six children in-law: Linda (Ed) Phillips, June (George) Morgan, John (Lisa) Worn, Rose (Larry) Mimms, Deb (Mike) Brown, Father Paul Worm, Ann (Bill) Fitzgibbon; 13 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren, and three sisters: Mary Junyor of Greenbrier, Linda Hausen of Vilonia and Carolyn Irby of Conway. Shortly after graduating high school, Evelyn moved to Little Rock worked at TufNut, lived in a boarding house and spent free time dancing at the USO. In 1947 she married Frederick Worm, converted to Catholicism and began raising a strong Catholic family. For 25 years, she and her husband operated Pine Grove Market, a neighborhood grocery next to their home at 3200 Walker Street in the John Barrow addition. In 1976, Evelyn took a job as cashier for Western Sizzlin on Geyer Springs Road in Little Rock retiring in 1986. She was an accomplished seamstress and sewed not only for her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren but many of her friends that included wedding gowns and her special homemade quilts. She was an avid reader and movie fan. She was a proud and devoted mother, making many personal sacrifices for our sake, always saying that the best thing that came from her marriage was her children. As she aged, and became ill we could do no less for her. The ravages of disease on her mind disguised the mother we had known and loved for so long, yet she remained our sweet beautiful mother that we all loved and cared for. At times she still amazed us with her wit and memory and even helped us to laugh at times when we wanted to cry. She was an awesome mother and friend and it will be so hard to go on without her, but we are comforted by the fact that we will be together again. We will celebrate her life with a visitation at Griffin Leggett Healey & Roth Funeral Home on West 12th Street in Little Rock on Tuesday at 6 p.m. with a Rosary at 7 p.m. The Mass of Christian burial will be at Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church on Van Buren Drive in Little Rock on Wednesday at 10 a.m. with burial at Calvary Cemetery. We thank all the many doctors, nurses, and caregivers who helped us care so lovingly for our sweet Momma throughout her multiple hospitalizations, rehabilitation and nursing home stays and hospice care. We are especially grateful for the wonderful example of Christian grace through suffering that our mother gave us especially during the last four years of her life. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church, Arkansas Right to Life or Alzheimer's Arkansas in Little Rock. Please send Anna's family messages of love, encouragement and share memories with them at www.griffinleggetthealeyroth.com.

Published December 18, 2012

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