Nany Evans oral history.indd - Washington Secretary of State
Nany Evans oral history.indd - Washington Secretary of State
Nany Evans oral history.indd - Washington Secretary of State
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pointed two pillows for us that are in the living room. Mrs. Jean Richards was another <strong>of</strong><br />
Mother’s new friends. Her husband was with the bank as well. One <strong>of</strong> my favorites was<br />
Katy Barbey. Her husband had been a very well-known Navy admiral in World War II. Every<br />
time she came she had a dirty joke to tell us. She had her eyes done at 82.<br />
Hughes: Wow.<br />
<strong>Evans</strong>: Oh, these were great women. And they had this Saturday lunch bunch. Every<br />
Saturday at 10 or 11 they’d go out to Arnie’s at Tumwater.<br />
Hughes: Oh, Arnold Ball. Good chef.<br />
<strong>Evans</strong>: He was our caterer a lot. But my mother and the other ladies, they’d just talk and<br />
giggle and have a great time. So Mother made a lot <strong>of</strong> good friends and she was very busy,<br />
very active. She enjoyed having all the young people around too – Dan’s friends. So she<br />
just stayed on.<br />
Hughes: For Dan <strong>Evans</strong>, that’s the flip side <strong>of</strong> the “mother-in law from hell” – to have a<br />
mother-in-law like your mother.<br />
<strong>Evans</strong>: It wasn’t that she always agreed with us. And sometimes I think it was harder for<br />
me to have her there than it was for Dan because we were two strong women. (laughing)<br />
And she would <strong>of</strong>ten say, “Nancy, I don’t think he should be doing this,” or something like<br />
that, and I would get very defensive.<br />
Hughes: “I’m a grown-up now, Mother!”<br />
<strong>Evans</strong>: That’s exactly right. So we had our moments. But it was wonderful because Dan<br />
and I were gone a lot. And I know it was harder for Mother, in a way, because our oldest<br />
son at that age grew to be, sort <strong>of</strong>, you know, into mischief – not that they all couldn’t get<br />
into mischief. Three boys together get into mischief with each other all the time.<br />
Hughes: Are those boys more like Dan or more like you?<br />
<strong>Evans</strong>: I don’t know. They’re wonderful young men.<br />
Hughes: What a joy for those boys to have their grandmother there for those formative<br />
years.<br />
<strong>Evans</strong>: It worked out really, really well. Mother obviously continued to live with us for a<br />
number <strong>of</strong> years, and as she became older and more frail and dependent on them, the<br />
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