Obituary of Opal Evans

Opal Joyce Black was born on March 6, 1937 in Lima, Ohio. She was the daughter of the late William "Bill" Black and the late Mary (Hale) Green. Opal grew up attending a one room school house near Stoney Creek. Opal gave birth to thirteen children and was a homemaker most of her life. For several years she helped support her family as a Nurse's Aide at Frenchtown Nursing Center. Opal was an independent thinker and very determined when it came to completing her goals. She was well known for her spunk and could be quite feisty at times. Opal had a passion for furry friends and she opened up her home to many feline companions over the years. Opal enjoyed games of chance and she could often be found playing bingo with her friends and continually had high hopes of winning it big with her scratch-off tickets. Recently, Opal married Carson Evans although the couple had spent nearly fifty years together. Opal Joyce (Sams) Evans age 76 of Oscoda formerly of Monroe passed away at St. Mary's of Michigan in Saginaw at 7:35pm; Monday, July 22, 2013. In addition to her parents her passing was preceded by her husband: Carson on May 7, 2013; one daughter: Kristina "Tina" Zurcher; two sons: Mark and Bob Sams; a grandson: Billy Bauman; and several brothers and sisters. To cherish her memory Opal leaves five daughters: Donna (Kenny) Worley of Oscoda, Renee Sams of Morley, Brenda Nadeau of Flat Rock, Linda (Kristyn Crawford) Sams of Toledo, and Lisa (William) Spears of Oxford; six sons: James "Jim" (Lori) Bauman of Guthrie, Oklahoma, Russell "Rusty" Bauman of Monroe, Eugene (Cheryl) Goff of Denver, David (Patricia) Nadeau of Monroe, Joe Sams, and Joe (Amy) Goff of Oscoda; a host of grandchildren and great grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews. Friends may gather from 2:00pm until 8:00pm on Thursday, July 25, 2013 at Merkle Funeral Service, 2442 North Monroe Street (734) 384-5185. A Celebration of Her Life will be held at 10:00am on Friday, July 26, 2013 also at Merkle's. Procession will follow to Roselawn Memorial Park in LaSalle for burial. In lieu of flowers memorial donations are suggested to the Family to assist with funeral expenses. Online guests may leave words of inspiration and comfort, share a photo, or make a donation by visiting www.merklefs.com and then selecting the Online Tributes page.