SPRINGVALE – Evelyn Underwood Click, 100, of Springvale, passed away in her home on Feb. 14, 2022. Evelyn was born July 31, 1921 in Italy, Texas where her parents owned and operated a small hotel. She was one of seven children born to Johnnie and RF Underwood. Her father traded the hotel for a cotton gin, and the family moved to Carthage, Texas where he ran the gin and other businesses. She grew up in a busy, happy family.

She graduated from Texas A&M University at Commerce, completed the initial year at the SMU School of Law, received a master’s degree from Sul Ross University, and pursued graduate studies at The University of Texas, The University of Northern Colorado, and Texas Tech University.

A wartime bride, she married 1st Lt. Carrol Click, a much-decorated Army Air Corps pilot, on July 1, 1944. The couple retired at the age of 60 and spent the next 26 years living on a beautiful lake in East Texas, traveling about the world, exploring all 50 states, fishing and golfing.

Evelyn chose teaching as her career. She taught high school English, Latin, business law, history, economics, and journalism for twenty years before teaching English at Angelo State University for ten years. She was well liked and highly respected by her students, some of whom remained in contact well into her eighties.

She especially enjoyed the poetry of Emily Dickinson and Edna St. Vincent Millay. She was a voracious reader and enjoyed the Portland Press Herald, New York Times, Longview News-Journal, and Wall Street Journal, reading them daily up until a few days before her death.

At the age of 86, Evelyn and her beloved husband of 64 years left their home state to live with their daughter Carol and her husband Rick in Springvale where she was immersed in the lives of her two granddaughters and five great-grandchildren during the last 14 years of her life. Being from “away” was no barrier to her natural ability to make friends easily, including among other participants in the senior college book group at the Springvale Public Library. She did not speak as often as some group members, but when she did, it was worthwhile. An example is that during a discussion of a book written by Sinclair Lewis, Evelyn quietly offered that she had met Mr. Lewis and spent a day with him and his wife as a student representative when she was in college and he was on a national speaking tour.

Her most pleasurable pass time was playing bridge, which she did with keen concentration for 80 years. She enjoyed weekly bridge games at the Trafton Senior Center in Sanford and remarked on her friendships with the other players, enjoying their “Yankee” outlook on life and fascinating personal histories. She was frequently high scorer and chuckled at the notion that she was taking advantage of the elderly.

Evelyn was preceded in death by her parents; two brothers, two sisters; and loving husband.

She is survived by her daughters Suzi Click and husband David Lewis of Los Angeles, Calif., Carol Forbess and husband Rick of Springvale; granddaughters Rachel Forbess (children Ethan and Griffin) of Portland and Alison Ginn and husband Steve (children Camden, Natalie, and Ava) of Windham. She is also survived by two sisters in Texas, Wanda Wallace and Lucille Pixler and numerous nieces and nephews. To her delight, seven of her Texas nieces came to Maine and with much laughter and many stories, helped celebrate Evelyn’s 98th birthday.

Evelyn lived a full and happy life traveling the world as much as she wanted and settled in Maine to enjoy the beautiful countryside, get to know her precious great grandchildren, and eat her daughter’s excellent cooking. Until almost the end of her life, Evelyn continued cooking many of her favorite meals from her small-town Texas heritage – fried everything, pinto beans and okra, buttermilk and cornbread – all washed down with sweet iced tea.

Above all she believed in family, friendship, responsibility, independence, investing in dividend paying stock, and the importance of education.

Her family wishes to express their sincere gratitude to the compassionate, skilled, and experienced staff of Southern Maine Hospice for their care and support during Evelyn’s last days.

Private burial services will be held at a later date at the Southern Maine Veterans Cemetery in Springvale.

Arrangements are under the direction of the Carll-Heald and Black Funeral Home, 580 Main St., Springvale. Condolences may be expressed at http://www.blackfuneralhomes.com



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