Evelyn Wagner Cabbell

May 9, 1925 - March 14, 2022

Mrs. Evelyn Wagner Cabbell, age 96, of Welcome, North Carolina was called to eternal rest on Monday morning, March 14, 2022, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She was born to Pearl Thomas Wagner and David Hollis Wagner, Sr. on May 9, 1925.

Evelyn Cabbell was raised in Welcome, North Carolina and Keystone, West Virginia. She split her time between the two states as her mother died when she was only two. Mrs. Cabbell recalled that her mother "must have been a very smart lady" because she made all of Mrs. Cabbell's clothes. She spent the school year in West Virginia with her aunt and uncle and the remainder of the year in North Carolina with her father. Despite not having a traditional childhood, she credited her aunt, uncle, stepmother, and father with always showing motherly love.

When Mrs. Cabbell's father remarried, she returned to North Carolina where she attended Dunbar High School in Lexington. After graduation, she attended Hampton Institute (University) where she earned a Bachelor of Science. Upon graduating from Hampton, she accepted a teaching position in Chatham, Virginia. She later taught in Gainesville, Georgia for six years and then returned to North Carolina and taught in the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School System for over 40 years.

Mrs. Cabbell enjoyed travelling and listening to jazz music. She always spoke fondly of her two trips to Europe and her trip to Cuba. She was able to combine her joy of travel and jazz by going on annual jazz cruises. She had the "gift of gab". She was known for chatting with her friends at church at her special table in the church's fellowship hall, especially before Sunday school. As much as she gabbed, she was also able to listen, which made her a consummate conversationalist. She loved flowers and was an avid gardener. Her neighbors were always in awe of her beautiful yard. She also enjoyed entertaining and was an excellent cook.

Mrs. Cabbell was very outspoken and independent. Well into her nineties, she thought nothing of driving long distances alone. She would routinely drive to her alma mater in Virgina and to visit friends and family. She was always available to provide guidance, although at times the guidance may have been unsolicited. A woman of grace and wisdom, Mrs. Cabbell said her advice to today's young women would be "to do the best you can; do not waste time; go to cultural events; if you can help a child, do so; don't hold on too tight to anything; share and give to others; be nice to everybody regardless of who they are."

She was an impeccable and fashionable dresser (even though she was quick to say how old her outfit was). Her wardrobe reflected the woman she was – one of class, style, dignity, candor, and grace – tempered with a dose of reality.

In addition to being actively involved in Sunday School and in the evening and noon Bible Study, Mrs. Cabbell served on the church's Finance Committee and several church ministries, which included the Senior Missionaries, Special Needs, Active Adults, Hospitality/Ambassadors, and Decoration Ministries.

Mrs. Cabbell was a member of the Lexington Pinochle Card Club, the Hampton University Alumni Association, and the Kimball High School Alumni Association in West Virginia, where she and her husband were both alumni.

Mrs. Cabbell married her childhood sweetheart, Elbert Lee Cabbell, whom she met in the West Virginia. They had been happily married for 66 years when he passed in August 2014. In describing her life, she said, "I had a good life. I had a happy life."

Among those left to honor Mrs. Cabbell's life and legacy are her son, Leland (Seista) Cabbell of Welcome, North Carolina, and her daughter, Shelley Cabbell and her husband Gary Hopson of Pikesville, Maryland; three grandchildren, Dawn Pearl Evelyn Lee, Rasheedah Cabbell, and Tremayne Grier Cabbell; and a host of in-laws, nieces, nephews, other relatives, and friends, including her beloved United Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church family, where she served for almost four decades. A very special thank you is extended to cousins Pam Wagner Bradsher and her daughter Lauren and to JoEvelyn Heard for their love and support.

Her graceful life will be celebrated 11:00 A.M. Wednesday, March 30, 2022 at Roberts Funeral Service Chapel (Winston-Salem). Interment will follow the service at 2:00 P.M. at Salisbury National Cemetery. A public viewing will be held Tuesday, March 29, 2022 from 1:00 P.M. - 6:00 P.M. at the funeral home. In every effort to protect our client families, sanitizing, facial coverings and or masks are required for the service.