Mattie Evelyn Talley

Graveside services for Mrs. Mattie Evelyn Talley, 82, of Kilgore will be held on Tuesday, March 14, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. at Rusk County Memorial Gardens with Reverend David Hampton officiating. Burial will follow at Rusk County Memorial Gardens. Mrs. Talley passed away in Kilgore on Wednesday, March 8, 2023.

Evelyn was born on September18, 1940 in Hugo, Oklahoma. She was the daughter of the late Jesse Dolph Mayfield and Nettie Thedford Mayfield. Evelyn graduated high school in Odessa, Texas and continued her education at Texas Tech University where she received her degree in education. Evelyn later received her master’s degree from Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas. She taught art and special education in Henderson and Kilgore for many years. Evelyn was a longtime member of the First Baptist Church in Kilgore, where she was a beloved Sunday School Teacher. She enjoyed spending time in the outdoors, at the lake fishing, and working in her yard tending to her flower beds.

Left to cherish her memory is her husband of 60 years, Robert Talley of Kilgore; daughter, Tamara Lynn Presley Chandler of Kilgore; granddaughter, Lauren Presley and grandson, Jesse Presley both of Kilgore; great granddaughter, Lilith Wilder; sister, Rosie Featherstone of San Antonio; sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Gwen and James Carter of Austin; several nieces, nephews, and other family and friends.