Evon Tindol

Edith Evon (Wright) Tindol, 72, most recently of San Antonio, Texas, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, March 9, 2021. She was a Christian and a proud American.

She was born at home on a Tuesday, December 21, 1948, in Beeville, the sixth of what would become seven children of Albert Eugene Wright, Sr. and Alma Lee (Gregory) Wright.

She loved her Mama and adored her Daddy. She spent her youngest years growing up in the Orangedale community, just out Highway 673 from Beeville. She had five older siblings to look up to from the beginning. A few years later, her younger sister was born, completing the circle of love and affection she would embrace and cherish all her life.

She recalled not understanding why schools were segregated and welcomed the end of that era. Her favorite subject in school was Texas History. Stories, books, and articles on anything Texas, its history, or about American Indians fascinated her all her days.

She married her high school sweetheart, Travis Tindol Jr., after he’d gone off to college. They moved to Uvalde and started a family immediately. She always proclaimed she felt her best physically when she was pregnant. Their two daughters were born in Uvalde, and their son arrived once they moved back home to Beeville so Travis could join his father in running the Budweiser distributorship.

She found her calling in being a mom and would have gladly had more if the Lord had granted them. For all her child-rearing years, Evon managed the household, always on the frontline and in the trenches. Although she cherished this primary role, she took opportunities to grow herself, selling Avon for a while, and taking courses at Bee County Community College to qualify her as a PE coach at St Joseph’s School for a time.

Evon had a fun and adventurous spirit. She turned cartwheels with the kids in the backyard and played many a game of Horse and shooting basketballs on the driveway. And, although she was terrified of roller coasters, she appreciated a good scare in the way of scratching on window screens or a “boo!” from behind the door or around a corner that resulted in uncontrolled laughter. She loved music and was quick to crank up a good song. She shared her love of history with her kids, often taking them to the Goliad missions and to walk the nature trails. She loved to shop for a good deal and found accomplishment in bargaining with antique dealers, or anyone whose price was negotiable. She enjoyed going all-out with Christmas decorations, and for every other holiday. Her Christmas Eve gatherings and Halloween parties were the norm for countless years. As their children grew up and out of the house, she enjoyed road trips to college football games across the south as the number one fan for young Travis, and for tracking down graveyards and stories of her ancestors.

She loved animals. Raised in the country, she grew up with cows, horses, chickens, and dogs. She never tasted store-bought milk until she was married, drinking warm milk from the cow most every morning of her life before then. She enjoyed the company of many a pet dog in her life, but none came close to Clare, her very own Shih Tzu-mix companion for over a decade. Clare earned rights and honors of which none of her kids had ever dreamed.

After their divorce, Evon lived briefly in Austin and was a Montessori teacher before moving to Seguin. It was there that she transformed a barren plot surrounding the house to a beautiful lush yard and garden with abundant butterflies, birds, vegetables, and herbs. She enjoyed the activities and friendships made while a member of the Sunset Lions Club there. It was there she also met her long-term boyfriend, Tom, with whom she fulfilled her dream of owning her own farm animals, raising sheep and Great Pyrenees with him for several years. She also hosted Rick, a beloved foreign exchange student from Brazil.

When the grandkids came along, she took to being a grandmother, or Mamoo, as if she had been waiting for it all her life. She loved them all, and celebrated their personalities and accomplishments, attending most every game, event, and recital they were involved in. She welcomed them into her arms and home any time given the opportunity.

In 2008, she moved to Plano and lived with her eldest daughter for ten years. In 2014, she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and in 2018, she moved to a memory care home in San Antonio to be closer to all her children. She fought this awful disease courageously. Not wanting to relinquish her valued independence, she at first had a tough go of it. She eventually came to terms and taught her family how to deal with such hardship – with determination, courage, and with her head held high. Her sweet spirit never wavered. Her joyful laugh never hushed. She brought joy to fellow residents and their families for as long as her body allowed. Her beautiful smile and soft hands comforted many a soul until the very end. Her last days were spent surrounded by her three children and their families, her greatest joys. Continuing to teach lessons until the end, she brought the family together for a five-day slumber party filled with good food, stories, and laughter. She will be incredibly missed, but her family is overjoyed that she is once again laughing and running around to her heart’s content.

Evon was preceded in death by her parents, Alma and Albert Wright Sr.; sister, Shirley Goynes; brothers-in-law, Richard Scott, Sr. and Bob Goynes; ex-husband, Travis Tindol Jr.; and cherished four-legged companion, Clare.

Survivors include her daughters, Holly Zoe (Michael) Kersten of San Antonio and Kristen Michele (Jerry) Nelson of Floresville; son, Travis Edward (Tamra) Tindol III of Driftwood; grandchildren, Corin (fiancé Leon Payne) Nelson of Floresville, Andrew Burton of Fort Hood, Katherine Burton of Dallas and Brock Nelson of Floresville; great-grandchildren, Kylie and Kinsley Kinyon and Leon Payne V, all of Floresville; brothers, Albert (Gayle) Wright Jr. of Rockport and Walter (Sandra) Wright of Alba; sisters, Esther Scott of Dime Box, Viola “Tinsy” (David) Walker of Hillsboro, Oregon and Martha (David) Evans of Gause; and numerous dearly beloved nieces and nephews.

Special thanks and appreciation is extended to her care team, especially Dr. Catheryne Zavodny in Plano; Dr. Neela Patel, UT Health Geriatric; Bader House Shavano Park current and former staff and nurses, Lydia, Cindy, Tamica, Brenda, Analicia, Maddy, Roni; and Heart of Texas Hospice nurses over the past year, Tiffany, Samantha, Nichol, and social workers Jenny and Lindsey.

Visitation will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, March 11, at Galloway & Sons Funeral Home. A Rosary will be recited beginning at 7 o’clock.

The funeral Mass will be celebrated at 2 p.m. Friday, March 12, at St. Joseph Catholic Church. After cremation, burial of her ashes will follow at a later date in Beeville Memorial Park with a smaller family ceremony.

Pallbearers will be her grandsons Andrew Burton and Brock Nelson, and nephews John Walker, Bill Goynes, Walter Wright Jr. and Shawn Drake.

Honorary pallbearers will be Richard Scott Jr., Jason Tindol, Lance Tindol, Michael Walker, Brett Wright, Joshua Walker and Henrique Mascarenhas.

All expressions of sympathy, including honorary donations to a Beeville 4-H Club or The Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s & Neurodegenerative Diseases at UT Health San Antonio, are welcome.