Evenlyn Hale Obituary (1923 - 2010)

WINTHROP - Evelyn Marie Schiffert Hale, 86, died peacefully at her home on March 24, 2010. She was born on June 24, 1923, the daughter of Edward and Anna (Jellinek) Schiffert, in New York City. She graduated from Hunter High School in New York City, earned a bachelor's degree in nursing from the Cornell University New York Hospital School of Nursing in 1945, and a master's of religious education from Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary, now Palmer Theological Seminary, in 1958. She married Charles F. Hale Sr., on Sept. 20, 1947. The Rev. Hale began her career as a nurse for Visiting Nurse of Association of Boston. Following the death of her husband in 1955, she began doing visitation ministry at the Trinitarian Congregational Church of Wayland, Mass. Feeling led to stay in ministry, she moved with her three children to Philadelphia, where she attended seminary. After graduation, she returned to Massachusetts to serve as director of Children's Ministries at Tremont Temple Baptist Church in Boston. Three years later, in 1962, she accepted the call and became the minister of educational ministries for American Baptist Churches of Maine (ABCOM), where she visited all the American Baptist churches in the state supporting their Christian education programs and oversaw the camping programs for ABCOM. She was ordained to the Christian ministry in 1973. Upon retiring from ABCOM in 1988, she spent two years serving as interim minister of Christian education for American Baptist churches of New Hampshire and Vermont, was an interim pastor for Buckfield Baptist Church, and most recently was pastor at North Wayne Community Church. She continued to participate in the Winthrop Area Ministerial Association, serve on various committees of her church, and ABCOM. She was a member of Penney Memorial United Baptist Church in Augusta. Evelyn was predeceased her husband; both her parents; and sister Florence (Schiffert) LaBruzza. She is survived by her children, Charles F. Hale Jr. and his wife, Natalie C. Hale, Nancy J. Cooley and her husband, David W. Cooley, and Barbara J. Waldo and her husband, David Waldo. She is also survived by her grandchildren and their spouses, JodiAnne and Larry Wood, Matthew and Lisa Hale, Timothy Cooley, Kristina and Lee Morrisseau, Jennifer Hale, Elizabeth Spencer, Andrew Cooley, Katherine Spencer, Daniel Cooley, Joshua Cooley, Rebecca Waldo, and Stephanie Waldo; as well as by two great-grandchildren, Corinne Hale and Noah Morrisseau. Friends may call upon the family 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. Monday at Knowlton and Hewins Funeral Home, 1 Church St., Augusta. A funeral service will be held at 1 p.m. Tuesday at Penney Memorial United Baptist Church, Augusta, with the Rev. Eric Moore officiating. Burial will be next to her husband in Wayland at a later time. Condolences may be sent to the family through www.khrfuneralhomes.com.