Evelyn Ruth Banks

Life’s Sketch Evelyn Banks was born on January 3, 1941 in Biardstown, TX to Frank Berry McFadden and Bula Jane Hill. She was the fourth of five children. She had two brothers and two sisters. She grew up in Paris, TX and attended First Ward School in Paris. She enjoyed school, sports, and her friends during her growing up years. She remembered when Elvis Presley performed in Paris at the Boys Club Gymnasium. She graduated from Paris High School in 1959. After graduation she moved to Denton and then to Dallas where she worked for an insurance company. In 1963 she met her future husband Ray Banks. In April 1964 they welcomed their first son Raymond Banks Jr. He died shortly after he was born. They had three more sons, Bret was born in 1965, Gene in 1968, and Rodney in 1971. They lived for a time in Balch Springs and when Gene was a year old, they moved to Paris. They bought land in Powderly and built a house. They later lived for a year in Bonham and then moved to Hawkins. In 1980 Ray met Dave Ashworth who introduced them to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In 1981, they began meeting with the missionaries and the entire family was baptized in February 1981. One of the happiest days of her life was when they were sealed as a family in the Mesa, AZ temple in April of 1982. The joy of her life was her children and family and she loved cooking and helping out where she could. She spent many years helping in her sons’ classrooms and community activities. She and Ray enjoyed traveling to Utah where her sons lived to participate in their weddings and later the baby blessings of their grandchildren. She had fourteen grandchildren and six great grandchildren. Evelyn loved participating in her church callings and she most enjoyed serving in the Primary. She spent her later years working on their property and taking care of their garden and animals. Her husband Ray passed away in 2012 and she chose to stay in her beloved Texas to live out the last years of her life. Evelyn Banks passed away peacefully on June 8, 2021, with her son Gene and daughter-in-law Selita by her side. She was joyfully reunited with her husband Ray and her oldest son Raymond Lee Banks Jr., who preceded her in death. She was also preceded in death by her parents, her siblings James Franklin McFadden, Dorothy Jane Ford, and Janice Marie Ward. She is survived by her brother Donald Eugene McFadden, her children Bret (Lisa) Banks, Gene (Selita) Banks, and Rodney (Nicole) Banks, her grandchildren Jessica (Daniel) Widenhouse, Shawn (Heidi) Banks, Rachel Banks, Derek Banks, Vanessa Banks, Sione (Jessica) Vimahi, Lucy (Fehoko) Pulu, Sini Taka, Evelyn Fonua, Alexandra (Carson) Hatch, Kendal (Paige) Banks, Kiersten Banks, Cameron (Mikayla) Banks, Grayson Banks, and her six great grandchildren. Graveside Services will be held on Thursday, June 10, 2021 at Kelsey Cemetery at 1:00 pm.