Mary Anne (Evans) Singleton
March 21, 1928 (Steubenville, OH) - November 14, 2022 (Asheville, NC)
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Parents: Henderson and Jesse Evans
Spouse: James Singelton Children: James, John, and Pat High School Attended: Interlochen Music Camp College Attended: B.S. from College of Wooster in Ohio and M.S in Music Education from University of Pennsylvania Occupation: Music teacher in Steubenville public schools and the Lab School at Temple University in Philadelphia |
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Mary Anne (Evans) Singleton, 94, formerly of Springfield, has died. She is survived by her husband, James; sons James, John, and Pat; five grandchildren, Jessie, Phil, May, Gloria, and Roo; two great-grandchildren, Hank and Walter; and her sister, Jimmie Sue (Evans) Daniels. She was preceded in death by her sister Sarah Jane (Evans) Hunt.
Mary Anne’s three great joys were music, family, and her faith. She engaged in all three with diligence and unreserved enthusiasm all through her life. Weeks before her passing, she took particular joy in holding her great-grandsons, Hank and Walter Lazarus, on her lap.
Mary Anne grew up in Steubenville, Ohio, the first of three daughters of Henderson and Jesse Evans. The family was active in the Presbyterian church. Mary Anne and her sisters, Sally and Jimmie Sue, participated in choirs and music ministry there. Mary Anne was very active in music and dance programs at her high school, and attended Interlochen Music Camp. She earned a bachelor’s of science in music at the College of Wooster in Ohio, and a master’s of science in music education at the University of Pennsylvania. She taught music in the Steubenville public schools, and the Lab School at Temple University in Philadelphia.
She wed James Singleton on August 8, 1953, beginning a very loving and sustaining marriage that lasted the rest of her life. Their marriage was the emotional foundation of her life, where she found courage for her efforts, and consolation in her frustrations. They enjoyed travel, outdoor sports, and arts and cultural events together. When they danced, it was easy to see the joy they found in each other, and the unreserved celebration they offered for each other, and their partnership. Their sons, James, John, and Pat, were born in 1955, 1957, and 1960, respectively.
The family moved to Springfield in 1961, and Mary Anne soon made her way into the community at Westminster Presbyterian Church and particularly youth music programs there. She was so active that at one point, a minister found it necessary to remind church staff that Mary Anne was a volunteer, and not a fellow employee. She remained a committed, passionate advocate for the ideas that music IS worship and that religious education necessarily includes music.
Throughout her life, Mary Anne strived to grow intellectually, and to broaden her knowledge and appreciation of arts and culture around the world. Beginning when she was four years old and continuing into her late 80s, she visited the Chautauqua Institution in western New York state, performing in the opera chorus when she was in her 20s. She shared the opportunities of the Chautauqua experience with her children, grandchildren, and many friends. Family may fondly remember a video of Mary Anne and her sister, Sally, taking a tap dance class in Chautauqua when Mary Anne was 80. As a member of the Anti Rust club in Springfield, she devoted herself to topics as wide-ranging as Shakespeare’s use of music in his plays, to the work of physicist Freeman Dyson, whom she met at Chautauqua.
Mary Anne was very cognizant that the opportunities that she received were blessings, and she urgently wanted to share those broadly. Her Christian faith, framed particularly by her mother’s early teaching, led her to work for racial justice in the church and the wider community. She approached that work with urgency and with personal commitment. In this and many other areas of her advocacy, she threw herself into the fray with an emotional presence and vulnerability. Her family and friends, her church, and her community are better for her many victories, and for all of her spirited engagement with the world.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, January 21, at 11am with visitation beginning at 10 a.m. at Westminster Presbyterian Church of Springfield, 533 South Walnut St.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that gifts be made to: Westminster Presbyterian Church of Springfield, https://www.wpcspi.org/giving.html or Planned Parenthood of Illinois www.ppil.org or Habitat for Humanity https://habitatillinois.org/donate/
Mary Anne’s three great joys were music, family, and her faith. She engaged in all three with diligence and unreserved enthusiasm all through her life. Weeks before her passing, she took particular joy in holding her great-grandsons, Hank and Walter Lazarus, on her lap.
Mary Anne grew up in Steubenville, Ohio, the first of three daughters of Henderson and Jesse Evans. The family was active in the Presbyterian church. Mary Anne and her sisters, Sally and Jimmie Sue, participated in choirs and music ministry there. Mary Anne was very active in music and dance programs at her high school, and attended Interlochen Music Camp. She earned a bachelor’s of science in music at the College of Wooster in Ohio, and a master’s of science in music education at the University of Pennsylvania. She taught music in the Steubenville public schools, and the Lab School at Temple University in Philadelphia.
She wed James Singleton on August 8, 1953, beginning a very loving and sustaining marriage that lasted the rest of her life. Their marriage was the emotional foundation of her life, where she found courage for her efforts, and consolation in her frustrations. They enjoyed travel, outdoor sports, and arts and cultural events together. When they danced, it was easy to see the joy they found in each other, and the unreserved celebration they offered for each other, and their partnership. Their sons, James, John, and Pat, were born in 1955, 1957, and 1960, respectively.
The family moved to Springfield in 1961, and Mary Anne soon made her way into the community at Westminster Presbyterian Church and particularly youth music programs there. She was so active that at one point, a minister found it necessary to remind church staff that Mary Anne was a volunteer, and not a fellow employee. She remained a committed, passionate advocate for the ideas that music IS worship and that religious education necessarily includes music.
Throughout her life, Mary Anne strived to grow intellectually, and to broaden her knowledge and appreciation of arts and culture around the world. Beginning when she was four years old and continuing into her late 80s, she visited the Chautauqua Institution in western New York state, performing in the opera chorus when she was in her 20s. She shared the opportunities of the Chautauqua experience with her children, grandchildren, and many friends. Family may fondly remember a video of Mary Anne and her sister, Sally, taking a tap dance class in Chautauqua when Mary Anne was 80. As a member of the Anti Rust club in Springfield, she devoted herself to topics as wide-ranging as Shakespeare’s use of music in his plays, to the work of physicist Freeman Dyson, whom she met at Chautauqua.
Mary Anne was very cognizant that the opportunities that she received were blessings, and she urgently wanted to share those broadly. Her Christian faith, framed particularly by her mother’s early teaching, led her to work for racial justice in the church and the wider community. She approached that work with urgency and with personal commitment. In this and many other areas of her advocacy, she threw herself into the fray with an emotional presence and vulnerability. Her family and friends, her church, and her community are better for her many victories, and for all of her spirited engagement with the world.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, January 21, at 11am with visitation beginning at 10 a.m. at Westminster Presbyterian Church of Springfield, 533 South Walnut St.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that gifts be made to: Westminster Presbyterian Church of Springfield, https://www.wpcspi.org/giving.html or Planned Parenthood of Illinois www.ppil.org or Habitat for Humanity https://habitatillinois.org/donate/