Evelyn Sonmor Vokolek, age 98, died Jan. 13 at Messenger House Care Center.

She was born Aug. 22, 1904 in Spring Valley, Wis., to Jacob and Marit (Oren) Sonmor. The youngest of 11 children, she grew up on the family dairy farm.

After earning her teaching credentials at River Falls Normal School, she taught for two years in a one-room school in Wisconsin. She moved to Chicago Heights, Ill., where she taught for eight years.

She married William Vokolek in 1935. They lived in Chicago Heights until 1947. The family moved to Franklin, Pa., in 1947 when her husband became the vice-president of Franklin Steel. In addition to being a homemaker, she enjoyed gardening, golf, bridge and active involvement in her church. She was widowed in 1966.

She moved to Bainbridge Island in 1971, where she enjoyed an independent, active lifestyle centered on traveling, volunteering for the Orthopedic Guild and gardening.

Decades of travel began in 1968 when she traveled to Tynset, Norway to visit her relatives. She made four additional trips to Norway in subsequent years. She also joined tours to Europe, the Soviet Union and Asia.

She is survived by two sons, Alan Sonmor Vokolek, of Ridgecrest, Calif., and William Robert Vokolek, of Bainbridge Island; four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

A family gathering was held to celebrate her life. Inurnment will be in Franklin, Pa. Arrangements were under the direction of Kass Funeral Home, Bainbridge Island.