Mary E. Givhan-Haymon

Mary Evelyn Givhan-Haymon passed away the morning of Saturday, July 29th at Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Moreno Valley, California at the age of 87.

Evelyn was born January 12, 1936, in Memphis, Tennessee. She was the eldest of nine children to parents Albert and Rosemary Morris.

At the age of three, Evelyn was sent to Brinkley Arkansas, to live with her grandparents Margaret and Dotson Jones, whom she loving called “Mama and Daddy.” Evelyn was raised by her Grandparents from age three to approximately age 10, and she often recalled how living with her beloved grandparents and best-friend and “partner in crime,” her Aunt Lillian, were some of the best years of her life. 

After Evelyn returned to Memphis to reside with her parents and siblings, during the late 1940s.  During that time, Evelyn accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior and she was baptized, becoming a life-long member of the Catholic Church. Subsequently, as a teen, Evelyn attended high school at St. Augustine Catholic High School.

After High School, Evelyn received the ultimate blessing when she gave birth to her first child, Dale in 1953, followed by Frank in 1954 and Linda in 1956. Evelyn met her first husband, Joe Givhan in 1956 and son Anthony was born in 1957, followed by Monique in 1959. While nearly all of her siblings remained in the greater Chicago region, in July 1965, Evelyn moved some 1800 miles west to establish a  better life for her family in Long Beach California. In California, Evelyn worked at several hospitals, which included Harbor UCLA Medical Center in Torrance Ca.  During the late 1960s and early 1970s, while working fulltime, Evelyn attended Long Beach City College, Compton College and Bryman College receiving medical credentials to work in nursing.  Thereafter, Evelyn worked in the OB GYN unit at Kaiser Permanente Hospital beginning in 1979 until she retired in 1999.

After her marriage to Joe ended, by chance, Evelyn met Maceo Haymon in 1978 at George Chevrolet in Lakewood Calif. After Evelyn’s and Maceo’s chance meeting, they became inseparable and they eventually married in Las Vegas, Nv in 1990. During their marriage, Evelyn and Maceo resided in Compton Ca, and Long Beach Ca and eventually, they pulled up roots and relocated to Las Vegas in 2000, Georgia in 2006, and then back to California, settling in Moreno Valley, California in 2015.

Evelyn lived life to the fullest and she loved to have fun.  Evelyn adored shopping and entertainment, attending concerts, plays and sporting events with family.  Evelyn was a devoted Laker fan and she enjoyed the horse races at Santa Anita.  Evelyn also loved to take trips to Las Vegas, often winning money at the casinos.  Evelyn and Maceo often went on vacation to visit family and friends. At one point, during the 1990s, Evelyn and Maceo owned a luxury RV, which gave them the comforts of home while they traveled the states in style with granddaughter Gia. 

It was not uncommon for Evelyn and Maceo to host family visiting from out of state, and it is not an exaggeration to say that all of Evelyn’s extended family enjoyed their world class hospitality and the best home cooked meals imaginable -savory gumbo, spaghetti, chili, cabbage rolls, mouth-watering fried chicken, toe-curling peach cobbler, and many other dishes - all lovingly prepared by Chef Evelyn.

Evelyn had a tremendous personality and deep commitment to her family. She loved her children and she was a doting grandmother who gave her grandchildren “delicious food, money and wet kisses.” She looked after not only her children, and grandchildren, but her extended family – her beloved sisters and brothers, nieces, nephews and cousins, we all felt her love and warmth spanning across generations. Evelyn was the benevolent matriarch of the family, a fitting role which she relished, and that suited her well. Evelyn was preceded in death by her sons Dale and Frank. She is survived by her children Linda, Anthony (Angela) and Monique, nine grandchildren: Gia, Yamir, “Bubbas,” Dale Jr., Amari, Davin, Anthony, Andrew, Annie, and Anderson and great-grandchildren. She was also preceded in death by her sister Barbara, and is survived by siblings Jerome (Gloria), Albert (Ann), Judy (Max), Phyllis, Elaine (James), Gina (Ranier), and Artemia (Ed) and a host of nieces, nephews and cousins. Evelyn will forever be loved and missed.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Mary E. Givhan-Haymon, please visit our floral store.