Jan 04, 1933 - Feb 08, 2025

• Mrs Evelyn Mary Dooks (Nee Tully)

Passed away on February 8th, 2025 at the age of 92.

She was the daughter of (the late) Thomas Tully and (the late) Mary Tully and the wife of (the late) Eldridge Fredrick Dooks (“Digger” Dooks).

She leaves in sorrow her children Dyana Lavallée (husband Jean Lavallée) and Gail Lachapelle her grandchildren Claire Lavallée, Benoit Lavallée (wife Kassidy Lavallée) and Emma Lavallée and Lily Lachapelle, her great-grandchildren Alix Lachapelle and Jason Lachapelle as well as many nephews, nieces and friends.

She was predeceased by her sisters Helen Wurdell and Doris Phoenix.

The family would like to thank Shirley, Marie Edith, Liberty and Loretta for the love and care they showed our mother while she was on the care side at Chapel Hill Retirement Home. Knowing that you were looking after her gave us great comfort during the past years. We feel eternally grateful that she had such loving people around her.

Evelyn left school at 16 and left the farm in Ontario shortly after that. Because she was of Irish decent it was expected that she would “go into service”, meaning she would take a job as a maid.  However, she found work in a store and worked there for several years until she eventually went on to work in a ladies clothing shop. Her career in ladies’ clothing took off and she started working for Maple Leaf Services on Canadian Forces Bases. She worked for them in many different locations and eventually met the love of her life “Sergeant Digger Dooks”. Digger was transferred to Valcartier and as fate would have it, Evelyn was transferred to manage the Maple Leaf Services store in Valcartier a short while later. One day while walking down the street she saw him sitting in a coffee shop. She went in and sat down beside him, and he said to her “well, if this isn’t the nicest thing that has happened to me all day”. The rest is history.

They married and had two girls and the family was transferred to Victoria, B.C. where Evelyn continued to work for Zellers and then in a private Bailiff company with Digger and later, again in retail for Sears. She loved retail and was very good at it.

Evelyn was a big walker. Being confined to a wheelchair and losing movement was very difficult for her. We like to picture her now, walking along, in peace, at Willows beach in Oak Bay (Victoria).

In memory of Evelyn donations to the Alzheimer’s Society would be appreciated.