Lydia Evans, next to the youngest child of Charley and Rhoda (Minick) Evans, was born May 7th, 1914 in a sod house 14 miles southeast of Gove City, Kansas in the Missouri Flats neighborhood. She passed away ¬September 19, 2012 at the age of 98. Lydia has lived in or near Gove all of her life. She was one of a family of 12 children 7 girls and 5 boys.

Lydia was preceded in death by her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Charley Evans, her husband of nearly 63 years, Alfred A. "Bill" Packard and her eldest son, Wayne Packard; five brothers—David, Bill (Will), Charles J, James and Walter Evans; six sisters—Nora Hockersmith, Goldie (McCartee) Cenoweth, Sylvia Richardson, Sarah "Peggy" Graham, Mae Billington, and Ruth Kruse; and great grandson, Benjamin Mare-Packard.

Lydia and Bill Packard were married in the Gove Methodist Parsonage (the late Ina Mendenhall residence in the east part of Gove), January 29, 1933. They were both members of the Gove Rural High School graduating class of 1932. To this union two sons were born: Wayne Alfred and Richard Dean. During the early part of their marriage, this country was experiencing the years of the Great Depression, Followed by the Dust Bowl Era.

Lydia was a member of the Gove Methodist Church, being baptized at the age of 14 on January 13, 1929; she was faithful and supportive for 75 years until withdrawing her membership on May 25, 2004, and becoming a Charter Member of the Gove Community Bible Church. Her early Christian training began when as a child she attended Sunday school with her family at the Prairie View Schoolhouse. She was active in promoting music in the Gove United Methodist Church. In the early 50s, she and Helen Coberly organized the Junior Choir (made up of 4th through 8th graders); she was director of this choir for its first 15 years. Lydia sang in the adult choir and was frequently called upon to sing for funerals. She began singing for funerals at the age of 17 and continued for most of her life. She has a collection of memorial cards that filled a large shoebox of funerals in which she was one of the singers—over 100.

Lydia had been an active member in good standing in the Gove Rebekah Lodge#322 for over 32 years before receiving a withdrawal certificate in 1966. She was a member of the Gove Federated Clotilda Club for a number of years; served on the Gove County Library Board, was a Charter member of the Gove E.H.U.; a member of the Gove U.M.W.; member of the Gove County Historical Society and The Sons and Daughters of the Soddies, Inc., Colby, Kansas; and member of the Daughters of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). Lydia was a member of the Gove Senior Citizens group and enjoyed painting and quilting for the Center (She was an avid walker and daily could be seen walking to the Post Office and Senior Center – people would stop to give her a ride, but she always politely refused in favor of getting exercise). She and her husband were charter members of the Gove Hackberry Hoppers Camping Club, the Hays Midway U.S.A. Coachman Campers and they enjoyed square dancing in later life. After retiring, they enjoyed the outdoor camping trips and vacations for 15 winters on Mustang Island near Port Aransas, Texas.

Lydia was interested in music and had the natural ability and self-taught talent to play the piano, mostly by ear. In later life, and after suffering with painful and crippled joints (Osteoarthritis) in her fingers, failing vision (Macular Degeneration), she continued to sing in the church choir, as well as accompanying on the piano for the Annual Gove Old Settler's Days for their "Sing-Along" production. Some of Lydia's greatest joys were when her family could be together, especially when gathering around her piano singing. She had a special way with children of all ages who came to her house to visit and play – most likely, refreshments were served at the end of their visits. It was her opinion that singing with her family helped to promote happiness and harmony. When she and her sister Mae (Evans) Billington were in High School, they won many trophies in contests with their singing. Mae was blessed with a very special (beautiful) voice and they blended and harmonized so well together with Lydia singing alto.

During her childhood, Lydia did not have the opportunity to learn to swim, roller-skate or ride a bicycle; however, she did have a pony to ride. She and Topsy enjoyed many hours galloping over the hills and pastureland. She was a person who enjoyed arts and crafts. Some of her favorite creations were the porcelain lace draped dolls and China Dolls. By 2006, she had crocheted 260 doilies, which she had given to relatives and friends.

At a very early age, Lydia began helping with the house work – washing and drying dishes, pumping water for household use and carrying in prairie fuel (cow chips) for heating and cooking purposes. She washed clothes on a washboard and they had to be hung on an outdoor clothesline to dry, then most everything was ironed on an ironing board, using a sad (yes, sad) iron, which was heated on the cook stove. Lydia walked 2 ½ miles to the country one room school – only one teacher for all grades. Of the eight years in grade school, she attended the West Lone Star School for six years, the 3rd year at the Gove School District #9, and the Wild Rose School (in the Missouri Flats) when in the 6th grade. In her four years of high school, most of the students rented a room in some of the houses in Gove (there was no bus service at that time). During school days, students would batch there but they returned home over weekends. Lydia believed in having a good time and enjoyed life – but she never shirked from hard work.

During Lydia's lifetime, she saw many changes, especially in our mode of travel. Prior to the time of using tractors and combines on her parent's farm, it was necessary on certain occasions for her to help with the fieldwork. She recalled driving a team of 2 horses to the header barge at wheat harvest time while her Brother Jim Evans ran the header with a team of 4 horses. The grain was left on the wheat straw when using a header. The straw was cut with the header and run through an elevator into the header barge. Lydia was in charge of keeping up with the flow of the wheat. The straw was then stacked into haystacks by her Father Charley Evans. Later in the winter time, thrashing machines would go from farm to farm thrashing the grain from the straw.

Lydia leaves to mourn her passing her son Dr. Richard (Joyce) Packard, Lakeview, Arkansas, Deloris (Wilson/Packard) (Herb) Steinike, Gove, Kansas; five grandchildren; Charles (Rose) Packard, Grainfield, Debra (Randall) Metzger, New Cambria, Kansas, Brian (Annette) Packard, Gove County, Kansas; Tonya Packard, (Levi Manes), Flagstaff, Arizona, R. Dean Packard, Tucson, Arizona; 18 great grandchildren; 16 great-great grandchildren; Three step grandchildren, 5 step great grandchildren; 4 step great-great grandchildren; and many nieces, nephews and friends.

Funeral Services will be held at the Gove Community Bible Church, in Gove, KS, Saturday, September 22, 2012 at 10:00 A.M.

Visitation will be from 5:00 P.M.-7:00 P.M. at the Schmitt Funeral Home in Quinter KS on Friday, September 21, 2012.

IN LIEU OF FLOWERS, Memorials are suggested to Gove Community Bible Church or Gove County Medical Center Long Term Care and may be sent in care of Schmitt Funeral Home 336 N 12th WaKeeney KS 67672.