Josephine Ida (Joida) Evans, age 89, departed this life on June 30, 2022. Words alone cannot even begin to capture the immeasurable love, kindness, gentleness, joy, and friendship she so generously extended to family, friends, and community…the word stranger did not exist in her vocabulary. Our heavenly Father broke the mold with Joida, and she leaves a legacy for the ages having touched countless lives.
Joida was born to John and Josephine Turk in 1933 in Cleveland, Ohio. She later graduated with an art degreefrom Ohio Wesleyan in Delaware, Ohio where she met her husband, Richard. They were married in 1955 and after 67 years of marriage, have five sons and many grand/great grandchildren.
Faith and family were first and foremost to Joida and raising five ‘perfect’ sons, required plenty of faith, divine intervention, and the occasional, well deserved, wooden spoon of correction. She was gifted with many talents to include sharing her faith, mentoring, teaching, cooking (oatmeal raisin cookies, apple strudel, homemade pizza, Slovenian sausage, potica, and strukli) and art.
Joida had a deep seated, driving passion for the world of art rooted in painting, sketching, drawing, pottery, crafts, and the list goes on. For many years, she would travel to an awesome art school tucked away in Gatlinburg, TN called Arrowmont, taking classes to hone her skills, and enjoy the creative atmosphere and camaraderie of fellow artists. She became a staple at Arrowmont, with the following condensed words passed on from their staff…”Joida was engaging, charming and positive. Whether in a workshop, sharing lunch with friends, or just socializing, she was always supportive and encouraging. Her sense of humor and smile were infectious. We were always happy to learn that she would be on campus. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to tell you how important Joida is to us…she will be missed. We shall not see her like again”.
We will miss the bright light she created and extended to all who knew her, but joyful in the fact that she is now in the presence of our eternal Lord and Savior Jesus Christ…with an unlimited amount of art supplies!
Joida is preceded in death by her parents John and Josephine Turk, brother John Turk, and son Randy. She is survived by her husband Richard, and sons Mitchell, David, John, and Jason.
A memorial service is planned at Kilpatrick’s Funeral Home in West Monroe on Friday, 15 July at 2:00 pm with Dr. Woods Watson officiating. There will be an informal reception to follow at 307 K St. Monroe, LA.
In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, 556 Parkway Gatlinburg, TN 37738.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.kilpatrickfuneralhomes.com

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