Evelyn Rae Wortham, 75, of Rapid City, South Dakota, left this world on April 5, 2022, and went to meet her heavenly father and all her loved ones eagerly awaiting her arrival.

Evelyn, who was always called by her nickname, Rachal, but also answered to mom, grandma, and great-grandma, was born in McAlester, Oklahoma on November 23, 1946 to Lewis and Opal Eden. She was the second of four children and had an older brother, Terry, and two younger brothers, Lewis, Jr. (Patty) and Steven. From her father, she was given the gifts of organization, perseverance, and loyalty to family, and from her mother she received an artistic, creative side. She was fond of cooking, gardening, theater, reading, and just about any craft or decorating project. And like her mother, Rachal had an open, loving personality that could befriend just about anyone she met, from the clerk in the grocery store, to the homeless person on the street.

Rachal graduated from high school where she was active in drama productions and local theater, and she attended college at North Texas State University in Denton, Texas, where she received a Bachelor of Science in Education with honors in 1969. While at college, Rachal was active as a cheerleader and as a member of Alpha Phi, a popular sorority. In her last few years of college, she met her future husband, James Orlan Wortham, Jr., whom everyone called Buddy. They married on October 25, 1968.

After college, Buddy enlisted in the Air Force and Rachal became a "military wife" and they began their travels around the country that would encompass over 20 years. They started in Rapid CIty, South Dakota and then Lubbock, Texas, where Buddy trained to become a KC-135 pilot, and Rachal got her master's in interior design from Texas Tech University. While in Lubbock, Rachal taught at Texas Tech where she was an early proponent of passive solar energy design. After living in Texas, Rachal and Buddy moved to Maine, North Carolina, Washington, and back to South Dakota where they eventually planted permanent roots. Over 54 years of marriage, Rachal was both a regular and substitute teacher, owned her own interior-design business at one time, worked in design for others, and was a realtor in the Rapid City area for Rossum and Neal Realty. She became a mother to two daughters, Michele, and Colleen, and had six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren who all adored her. She was also very close to her parents and brothers and their families, and tried to visit them in the Fort Worth, Texas area whenever she could.

Some of the things that Rachal will be remembered for the most are her gifts of hospitality and kindness. She loved having people over for a meal and good conversation and she welcomed all friends and even the friends of friends into her house. A consummate interior decorator, she made everything beautiful, and her house was filled with pictures of her children and grandchildren, her favorite antiques and paintings, and her knick-knacks from all her travels. She also loved singing and had a piano which she encouraged her daughter, Colleen, and her grand-daughter, Megan, to play often, and she could be found humming a tune in the kitchen or around the house while she worked on projects or in the yard. When she met up with her brothers, Patty, and Steven, they would play the classics on their guitars, and she would always accompany them with her beautiful voice. She sang in many community choirs, the Rapid City Sweet Adelines, and local theater productions, and could hit the high note every time in "O Holy Night," with perfect clarity.

Rachal will also be remembered for her gifts of creativity and her love of nature and her family as well as her strong connection to Jesus Christ. She could whip up a last-minute superhero, cowgirl, or spaceman costume in a few hours and make a "magic lasso" or a "space gun" out of some cardboard, rope, ribbon, and some markers. She sewed every fluffy blanket, choir dress, leotard embellishment, and skating skirt with ease. She enjoyed attending every brownie and boy scout/girl scout event, musical concert, and sports game for her children and grandchildren.

She spent lots of time outside, where she fed the birds daily and loved to watch them from her porch, and planted flowers and vegetables that she shared with friends and neighbors. She was a lover of cats, dogs, and the occasional squirrel (the ones that left her birdseed alone). She also fished with her husband from their many different boats over the years and caught the occasional "stick fish" with her kids and grandkids, hiked, skied, and camped. She loved her church and was very active in all of their events, and also was a lifelong Bible reader and learner and talked daily to God.

Rachal always made her family and friends feel loved and special, taking them individually out for special days, like a Chinese food run to The Great Wall restaurant, or a milkshake at McDonalds. She usually knew exactly what she wanted to do and had a plan to get there but always tried to laugh along the way. In her later years, when she was in assisted living and nursing care, she still had a smile and the occasional eye roll for everyone that helped her and cared for her.

Rachal is survived by her husband, James O. Wortham, Jr., and her two daughters, Michele Allen, and Colleen Stofan, and their husbands, Casey Allen, and Duane Stofan. She had six grandchildren: Chace Allen, Megan Wendt, Nathaniel Allen, and Caleb Allen, and Owen Stofan and Sean Stofan. She also had two great grandchildren: Ezra and Elijah Wendt. She left a lasting legacy on all of them and will be missed always. As a final act of love, she donated her brain to the Mayo Clinic to further the research of the dementia that took her voice and her life: Logopenic Primary Progressive Aphasia. We know she will help many others with her donation, just as she would have wanted.