History of Elders

By Brad Romans

Having witnessed the advent of modern media, several wars, the Civil Rights movement, and dozens of other historically significant events, Mary Ellen Evitts, 72, has seen many changes in her life, and is amazed with the progress that has been made technologically and socially.

?If I had to pick just one thing that impressed me, I?d have to say it is the change in diversity,? Evitts stated. ?People are more accepting now than I have ever seen.?

Evitts was born in a secluded town in Kentucky in 1933. Born the third of four children, she was raised with ideas and words that have since been socially rejected or outdated.

?I remember one day when my son Tim came home from a few days of hard work out of doors, and someone said, ?Tim, if you get any darker of a tan, you might turn into a nigger,?? said Evitts. ?We never thought much on this. It was just a word. But that?s changed, and I think for the better.?

Evitts attended school in Kentucky before she moved her family to Michigan in 1962. She graduated from her community high school with honors. It was there that she met Eric Evitts, and the two dated for four years outside of school before he asked her to marry him.
?We both worked full-time for a few years, saving up money for a house of our own,? said Evitts. ?We bought our first home an hour from where we grew up, and got married just before we moved in. It was really just a terrible little place, but you know how it is with your first house.?

Evitts worked as a secretary at a paper manufacturing plant a few miles from her family home for seven years. After three years of marriage, the Evitts? had their first child, a boy whom they named Timothy. Two and a half years later came a girl they named Diane. Evitts took her maternity leave to give birth to her first child, but decided not to go back to work.

?I always felt as though it would be confusing for a young child to have a nanny and a mother in the same day, so I quit, ? said Evitts.

The move to Michigan facilitated a number of changes, especially for her children, who were about to start school.

?It seemed at the time, Kentucky was not as good a place for my children to be,? Evitts stated.
The family then moved to Chelsea, Michigan, where Tim and Diane attended Elementary and middle school while Eric worked to support the three of them as a machinist for General Motors.
They now continue to lead productive lives in Pinckney, living on a quiet and comfortable ten acres. They raise chickens, turkeys, and rabbits each year, and harvest tomato, bean, and corn crops.

?I think it?s being outdoors and staying active that is the key to being healthy,? said Evitts. ?People who are always sick are sitting around, smoking and watching TV. My message: throw that thing out! It does you no good.?

Despite being diagnosed with lupus six years ago, Evitts is full of energy and positive outlooks. Mary Ellen Evitts is living a fruitful, quiet life with her family nearby. She enjoys her retirement, reads a great deal, and is extremely cheerful.

?I?m quite satisfied with the life I?ve led, especially having left my mark through my own children,? said Evitts. ?They are, after all, what let us carry on our missions.?