M. Evelyne (Nelson) Robillard, 92, died peacefully in her sleep at home on Tuesday, December 9, 2014. She was born in Portland, Oregon, the third child of William Burgess and Maude Evelyne (Yingling) Nelson. She was predeceased by her sister, Mae Bouseman, and her brother, William Nelson.

She spent her youth in Portland and entered Portland State College at the age of sixteen. World War II had begun and after her junior year she decided to join the work force as an office manager doing her part here on the home front. It was at this time she met a young sailor from Worcester who was on leave while his ship was being repaired. They were married ten days later. After the war ended, they returned to the Worcester area where they would live for the next 69 years. They moved to Holden in 1952 where they raised their two children and remained until 2005 when they moved to Sterling with their daughter and son-in-law. Typical of that era, Evelyne was a homemaker. She played the piano, sewed, knitted and crocheted. She and Ernie were marvelous dance partners enjoying swing, foxtrot and square dancing. She was an avid sports fan, enjoying sports of all kinds but especially candlepin bowling of which she belonged to a league for most of her married life until 2012. Even at the age of 90, she bowled well, holding the highest pin single string for that year, 123.

Evelyne was predeceased by her husband, Ernest J. Robillard, who died in May and her son, David Nelson Robillard, of New York and Oklahoma, who died in June. She is survived by her daughter, Phyllis M. Magdis and her husband, Richard J. Magdis, with whom she lived; four granddaughters, Heather L. Lillis and her husband, Seth, Stephanie A. Girouard and her husband, Mark, Elizabeth A. Magdis and Kathryn A. Magdis; great-grandchildren, Jessica and Michael Lillis and Rachael and Ali Girouard, all of Sterling. She also leaves her granddaughter, Jamie S. Stine and her husband, David and their three children, great-grandchildren David, Gabriella and Jacob, all of Broken Arrow, OK, and a grandson, Joshua Robillard of New York, and his daughter, great-granddaughter Abigail.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend a calling hour on Monday, December 15, from 9:30-10:30 a.m. at Miles-Sterling Funeral and Tribute Center, 100 Worcester Road (Rte. 12), Sterling. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m. at St. Richard of Chichester Church, 4 Bridge Street, Sterling. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Catholic Charities of Worcester County, 10 Hammond Street, Worcester 01610, Metro-West Hospice, Suite 110, 200 Nickerson Road, Marlborough, 01752 or Sterling Senior Center, 1 Park Street, Sterling 01564, all of whom added much to Evelyne’s and Ernie’s quality of life.