Evelyn Haberkamp Gregory (Evy) went to the Lord early Friday morning, October 27, 2023, surrounded by family.

Evy was born in an upstairs bedroom of the clapboard home that was on the site of the Roselle Lumber Company in Roselle, IL on March 15, 1926. She was the eldest child of Frederick (Fritz) Haberkamp and Esther (née Gathman) Haberkamp.

A strong student, Evy distinguished herself as a spelling champion during her school years. She also played softball with the Roselle Bloomer Girls. She graduated from Glenbard High School (now Glenbard West) and became an executive secretary in Chicago.

Her marriage to Raymond Mensching of Itasca IL in 1949 was cut short by Ray’s tragic death ten months later. But she found love again and married Merrill C. Gregory of Des Moines IA in 1952. After living in Ft. Worth TX and Denver CO, they returned to the Chicago area and lived in Naperville for over 50 years. Since 2017 Evy was living in a retirement residence in San Diego, CA. 

Those who knew Evy well know that her Christian faith was very important to her. She was baptized and confirmed at Trinity Lutheran Church in Roselle and was an active member of Bethany Lutheran Church in Naperville for many years. After moving to The Devonshire retirement community in Lisle, she enjoyed attending services at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lisle where one of the pastors, Dennis Franzen, was a distant cousin by marriage.

Evy was an avid gardener and bird watcher, teaching her beloved grandchildren how to identify the songs of cardinals and chickadees, and enjoyed helping them plant flowers and vegetables. She was well-known by the joggers in her neighborhood as the lady who was out tending her flower beds before 6am!

She is survived by her children, Sally Gregory, Peg Gregory Ross (Carl), Steven Gregory, brother Richard Haberkamp, and grandchildren William Ross, Kristin Gregory Goodman (Austin), Joanna Ross Terhune (Robert), and Danielle Gregory. Also surviving are her  “grandchildren of the heart” including Channy Chin Fazio (Phil), Moeun Chin, Tara Roberts Scully (Dan), Erin Roberts Zurbuchen (Thomas), and John Roberts (Vicki). She was preceded in death by her first husband Raymond Mensching, second husband Merrill Gregory, her parents, brother Robert Haberkamp, sister Elaine Hisson (née Haberkamp), daughter-in-law Debra Driscoll Gregory, and Roeun Chin.

A celebration of life will be held at Trinity Lutheran Church, 1101 Kimberly Way, Lisle, IL, on Monday, November 13 at 5 pm.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Evy’s memory to either DuPage Pads https://dupagepads.org/donate/ or The Morton Arboretum https://tinyurl.com/2p8ckujy .