BILOXI, Miss. – Evelyn Inez Barter DeGrasse, 88, formerly of Brewer, died peacefully Monday, Sept. 26, 2011, at home with her daughter. Mrs. DeGrasse was born Jan. 31, 1923, in Murfreesboro, Tenn., and relocated to Maine with her parents as an infant.
She was a beloved mother, grandmother and homemaker, and enjoyed gardening, sewing, crafts and had a lifelong love of Native American history. An excellent writer and poet, she enjoyed telling stories about “the way we were,” when cattle and horses were often driven down the middle of her street. In later years, she traveled frequently with her husband, including a month-long trip to Germany. She was affiliated with Brewer Historical Society, Brewer High School Alumni, and a former member of First United Methodist Church, Brewer.
She was predeceased by her husband of 68 years, Harold E. DeGrasse; her parents, Roland E. and Janie E. Barter of East Holden; granddaughter, Lorraine Anne Haye; sister, Ruth Barter Williams; mother-in-law and father-in-law, Fred and Rena DeGrasse of Orrington; a sister-in-law and several brothers-in-law. Survivors include daughters, Kande DeGrasse and Bobby Steele of Biloxi, Miss., and Judith A. and David Bassett of Milton, Fla.; sister, Jean Barter Lewis of Okeechobee, Fla.; granddaughters, Janie E. Reverse and Judi L. and Timmy Holley of Biloxi, Miss., Shayna D. and David Steele-Cook of Brooklyn, N.Y., and Dianna L. and Michael Picanco of Jacksonville, N.C.; grandsons, Joseph T. Farnham of Eliot, and Thomas W. and Jody Farnham of Kittery; brothers-in-law, Sheldon and Shirley DeGrasse of Fort Wayne, Ind., and Fred DeGrasse Jr. of Clyde, N.C.; sister-in-law, Delores DeGrasse of Orrington; nine great-grandchildren, one great-great-grandson, several nieces and nephews. She is also survived by cherished friends, Jeanne and Victor Wilson of Brewer; her beloved Class of 1940 friends and the Tuesday Lunch Bunch.
Graveside services and interment for both Mr. and Mrs. DeGrasse will be held in Maine at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Evelyn’s name to Air for Ashley, care of Allied Home Mortgage, 360 U.S. Route 1, Scarborough, ME 04074. Bradford-O’Keefe Funeral Home, 2511 Pass Road, Biloxi, Miss., is in charge of local arrangements. View and sign register book at
www.bradfordokeefe.com.