Evelyn Girouard Obituary

Evelyn Girouard
10/13/1918 - 1/15/2026
Evelyn Girouard, 107, a long-time resident of Prospect, passed away peacefully on January 15, 2026 surrounded by her loving family. She was the wife of the late Raymond Girouard. She was born October 13, 1918 in Waterbury CT, the daughter of the late Henry and Eugenie (Martel) Charron.
Evelyn is survived by her four children, Denise Dzialo and her husband Alex, Diane Stango and her husband Daniel, David Girouard and his wife Diane (Harrington), and Louise Phetteplace and her husband, John. She is also survived by her eight grandchildren, Michael Dzialo, Katie (Stango) O'Grady, Aimee (Stango) DiMarco, Kelly (Girouard) Chekovsky, Rachel (Girouard) Martin, Colleen (Girouard) Bernacki, Olivia (Phetteplace) Raposo, Ellie Phetteplace, her nine great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her brother, Henry Charron, and her sisters, Lucille Krasnovsky, Claire Belval, and Janet Bertulis.
Evelyn was raised in Waterbury and graduated from Waterbury Catholic High School in 1938. During WWII, she worked at Waterbury Steel Ball and assisted in war time production. She also volunteered as a Civilian Defense Air Raid Warden. In later years, she was the manager of the Waterbury St. Vincent DePaul Thrift Store, a position that allowed her to help those in need.
Evelyn was always known for her sense of humor and quick wit. As the oldest of five children, she was the ringleader in instigating many childhood antics. In her youth, she played softball for Perry's Laundry and would joke that when they lost, "they were all washed up!" For many years, she entertained her family and friends with outlandish Halloween costumes, and her 65th Birthday celebration became legend.
Evelyn was devoted to her family and instilled the values of hard work, education, and resiliency. In creating family traditions, she would bake each of her children a New Year's French meat pie and an Easter Hoska bread. On Thanksgiving and Christmas everyone looked forward to her homemade apple pies. When grandchildren entered her life, she earned the nickname of "traveling Grandma", always available at a moment's notice to help. "Grandma" was a favorite of her great grandchildren and even at 100, she could still be found playing with the kids.
Evelyn lived in Prospect for 47 years. She was a communicant of Saint Anthony's Church, a member of the Ladies' Guild, and a CCD teacher. She also enjoyed her time as a Cub Scout den mother. In 1988, she moved to Southington to live the next 24 years with her son David, and her daughter-in-law Diane, who she loved like a daughter. When she entered Southington Care Center at 104, she became a staff favorite with her quick and clever one liners and was always grateful for any offer of help.
The family would like to thank her home health aide Sharon, and the staff at Southington Care Center for the warm and exceptional care they generously gave to our mother.
Visitation will be held on Saturday, January 24, 2026 from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at Prospect Memorial/The Palmerie Family Funeral Home, 122 Waterbury Rd., Prospect, CT.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated for Evelyn immediately following at 11 a.m. at St. Anthony's Church, 4 Union City Rd., Prospect, CT. All those planning to attend services are asked to meet directly at the church following visitation. Burial will follow at Prospect Cemetery. At the request of Evelyn's family and in lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to St. Vincent DePaul Mission, Dorothy and Joseph Donnelly Fund at https://www.svdpmission.org/general-donation or mailed to St. Vincent DePaul Mission, P.O. Box 1612, Waterbury, CT 06721.