Evelyn Joyce (Cowart) Knapp, 80

Evelyn Joyce (Cowart) Knapp was born on Jan. 28, 1939. She was 80 years old and she died in the early morning hours of Jan. 17, 2020, succumbing to declining health issues resulting from COPD and a rapidly advancing cancer diagnosis.

She was the third of four children born to Edith Mae (Comer) Cowart and Lee Edwin Cowart. She spent her childhood days with her grandparents, William Edwin Cowart and Ina Mae (Wilson) Cowart, in the small community of Honeydew, Calif. As a teen, she and her siblings moved to the big city, where she lived with her mother in San Francisco and graduated from Balboa High School in 1956. The graduation write-up in her high school paper stated that she was an “art major; plans to work; likes art: swimming, dancing and flying; dislikes staying at home; favorite subject is art.”

She met and later married a handsome naval radio operator named Robert Fay Knapp, of Pepperwood, Calif., on Nov. 14, 1959, at the Park Wedding Chapel in Reno, Nev. They met as a result of a blind date, initiated by her brother, Jimmy. They were happily married until her husband died on Sept. 11, 2015.

Evelyn was truly the stabilizing factor in the lives of her family and nobody ever wanted to disappoint her. She immersed herself in reading gothic, romance and suspense novels when the opportunity arose. She had an amazing green thumb and was passionate about gardening. Bowling was her sport of choice, and she enjoyed a consistent 167 average.

Evelyn was best known for her cooking. Some of the family’s favorite dishes included fried chicken, mac and cheese, amazing homemade bread and crazy-cake.

She was a beautiful soul and was loved by all who knew her. She will be missed most by those closest to her, leaving behind everlasting memories of tireless, loving devotion and selflessness. She gave all she had to her husband and children, expecting nothing in return.

She is preceded in death by her siblings, James Edwin Cowart and Nancy Mae (Cowart) Rose; and children Robert Fay Knapp Jr. and Lynn Rene Knapp. Evelyn is survived by her sister, Edith Marie (Cowart) Parker; children Rebecca Ann (Knapp) Bayer, Travis Wayne Knapp and Trenton Wade Knapp; grandchildren Justin Robert Knapp, Julie Diane (Knapp) Cline, Melissa Ann Salisbury, Ronald Dwayne Salisbury, Christopher Glenn Salisbury, Cameron Wade Knapp and Emma Elysabeth Knapp; great-grandchildren Holley May Thomas, Chyanne Marie Thomas, Takoda Kay Cline, Michael William Cline Jr., Josiah Matthew Cline, Justin Robert Knapp Jr., Danika Rose Knapp, Liam Caden StandingRock and Crimson Fox Martin-Franks. A private service and spreading of ashes near her childhood home in Honeydew, Calif., will be held on a future date.

Please visit Evelyn’s online memorial at www.yatesfuneralhomes.com.