May 8, 1927 – June 2, 2023
Lincoln – Evelyn Jean Belcher, 96, passed away at the H. & J. Vonderleith Nursing Home on Friday, June 2, 2023. She was the daughter of George Oltmanns, Sr. and Hazel Oyer Oltmanns. She was born on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 8, 1927.
Evelyn graduated from Lincoln Community High School in 1945. She received an AA from Stephens College in Columbia, MO, where she majored in radio. She worked for disk jockey Gil Newsome at KWK in St. Louis as a script writer and coordinator for live shows broadcast from Kiel Auditorium.
In 1947 Evelyn married Joseph F. Belcher and was employed by the Law Office of Lyman Magas.
She lived and held jobs all over the country including Century 21 realter associate; writer and editor for KDFI in Cedar Falls, Iowa; executive secretary for Director of Education at First Methodist Church in Decatur, Ill.; executive secretary to Michael Kasser, the owner/president of Technopulp, Inc. in Montclair, NJ; columnist for Centralia Sentinel; and executive secretary to the curator of the Alamo for over 13 years.
Evelyn was a founding member of Theatre 7 in Decatur, Ill. In 1971, she graduated from Montclair State College with a BA in Drama. She directed a New York University student film for cable television with John Payne at the Sullivan Little Theatre. She also acted in plays at the Montclair Dramatic Club with Olympia Dukakis.
She is survived by her son, Joseph D. Belcher; daughter-in-law, Dr. Barbara Belcher; granddaughters, Jasmine and Justine; three great-grandsons, Logan, Coleton, and Jaxxon; niece Sheryl (Leif) Pedersen; great-nephew, Dane Pedersen; nephew, Clark Lyle (Dana) Oltmanns; and great-nephew, Marty Oltmanns.
Evelyn was preceded in death by her husband; parents; brother, George “Bud” Oltmanns, Jr.; infant daughter, Madeline Renee Belcher; infant son, George Geoffrey Belcher; and grandparents: Jacob and Anna Oltmanns, and Jacob and Clara Oyer.
Per her request, Evelyn’s body is being donated to science through the (AGA) Anatomical Gift Association of Illinois and will be buried at a later date.
Services will be held at Peasley Funeral Home in Lincoln on Monday, June 12, 2023. Visitation will begin at 5:00 p.m., followed by a Memorial Service at 6:00 p.m. Mr. Maurice Stribling will officiate.
In lieu of flowers, Evelyn wished that her memory be honored by people spending time with their families and praising their blessings.
Final arrangements are entrusted with Peasley Funeral Home of Lincoln.
