Evelyn Cissna, Energetic Community Service Activist, Mom and Wife of Driving Force behind the development of Federal Way.

Thursday June 6, 2013 Evelyn Cissna passed away of natural causes after a short illness. She was 93.

Evelyn Cissna was born on December 6, 1919 and grew up in Western Montana's Bitteroot Valley. Her parents were Charles and Olive Barker who raised Evelyn to have a love of poetry and literature. She was able to recite Longfellow's long poems from memory.

After graduating from high school in 1938, Mrs. Cissna moved to Seattle. She met Jack Cissna, a young attorney and partner in a downtown law firm. They were married in April 1939, celebrated their honeymoon by driving across the country to attend the 1939 New York Worlds Fair.

Jack had recently founded Federal Old Line Insurance and Evelyn would become its unofficial hostess. Headquartered at the top of Queen Anne Hill with offices in major cities throughout Washington State, FOL thrived sponsoring radio programs like "Let's All Sing". Evelyn hosted business executives and their families at their home and at family picnics.

While in Queen Anne, Mrs Cissna was active with community groups and service clubs serving as PTA president and helping sell War Bonds during WWII. After the war, Jack and Evelyn worked on Civil Defense and traveled to London England representing the City of Seattle. They would also visit other European capitals including Moscow during the tense U-2 incident when the Soviet Union downed an American spy plane.

In the fifties, Federal Old Line moved it's home office to the relatively undeveloped area known as "Federal Way" between Seattle and Tacoma. Over the next several decades, the couple worked to develop the area as chronicaled in the book "Images of America--Federal Way". Meanwhile Evelyn was raising the couple's five children and was busy as Elder of their church, PTA president, Garden Club President, Camp Fire Girl Leader, and Boy Scout Leader.

Her husband spearheaded the development of a regional shopping center and Amusement Park in the late 50's and 60's that was designed to grow into a regional shopping corodore. However in 1967, Jack Cissna's businesses became envoloped in legal struggles that would dominate her husband's professional life for the next twenty years.

In 1970, Evelyn and the two youngest children moved to Cissna Park, a small town in Central Illinois. Jack commuted to Seattle. Evelyn developed friends and volunteered in support of community events, the womens groups and for the Methodist Church.

She moved back to Seattle in 1977 to join her husband and began managing apartment buildings on Seattle's Capitol Hill. In 1986, Jack Cissna passed away.

After her husband's death, Evelyn threw herself at building a career. She joined the Capital Hill Lion's club as its first female member in 1989 and then in 1991 she would become the club's first woman president.

Mrs Cissna developed an adult care business in North Seattle. In 1992, she moved the business to a 10 acre ranch she purchased in Rainier, Washington. With this move, she added a bed and breakfast, room rentals, and the leasing of pasture land.

Even as a senior citizen running a business, she stayed active in her local community, supporting the local Historical Societies in Rainier and Federal Way, hosting The local Fire Department, and running for the Rainier School Board.

Over the course of her last twenty years, Mrs Cissna continuously expanded and improved her ranch, adding two new wings to the main house, and developing an orchard. She loved the rural life and her home in Rainier was always buzzing with activity. Evelyn only began to slow down as she lost her mobility in the last few years.

She died at home in the loving care of her two daughters and her youngest son. Twenty-seven years after her husband Jack was gone, she was working on a book to document the rightness of her husband's cause. She was an energetic, fun loving, powerhouse, who spent her life serving others and trying to make the world a better place. She will be missed.

Evelyn is survived by her sister, Gloria Lamping of Saratoga, California; her five children, Bob Cissna of Long Beach, California; Sharon Cissna of Anchorage, Alaska; Heather Cissna of Carbondale, Colorado; Scot Cissna of Bellevue, Washington and Kent Cissna of Rainier, Washington; and four grand children.

There will be a memorial for Evelyn, August 10 from 11:00am-12:00noon at The First Presbyterian Church, 20 Tacoma Avenue S. Tacoma WA 98402 with a reception following.

For information, directions and to RSVP please e-mail: evelyncissnamemorial@outlook.com.

Should friends desire, memorial contributions may be made to Lions Clubs International Foundation at www.lcif.org/EN/ways-to-give/lion-memory-honor-donation an organization that does significant community work and was supported by both Evelyn and Jack during their lifetimes.

Online Tributes at tacomamausoleum.com and facebook.

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