Kern County CA Obituary Project Obituaries.....(Richardson) Splitt, Evelyn November 14 2004 ********************************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/obits/obitsca/obitsca.htm ********************************************************** File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: K T bluewolf@onemain.com November 29, 2004, 2:09 am The Bakersfield Californian Evelyn Splitt Dec. 6, 1916-Nov. 14, 2004 Evelyn Splitt of Lake Isabella passed away November 14, 2004 after a long, varied, and productive life. She began life in Montreal, Canada, the daughter of Lilian Wood and Robert Richardson, who were immigrants from Halifax, Yorkshire, England at the turn of the last century. Forced to leave school at age 14 to support her mother and younger brother, due to the death of her father and the Great Depression, she initially worked at one of the leading department stores in Canada as a sales clerk. Her beauty and grace were such that she was often asked to model furs - fox, mink, and sable for wealthy women of that community. Her brains were more than a match for her looks, and she eventually secured a job as the executive secretary for Sam Bronfman, the patriarch of the family that owned Seagrams, the largest liquor and spirits company in the world. But even with beauty, intellect and job security there was one thing lacking, a good man in her life. When Jim Splitt, a dashing WWII RAF veteran from Scotland, migrated to Canada in 1948, this problem was solved. They met while playing badminton at a local recreational center and within two months they were married. A marriage that turned into an almost 56-year love affair. In 1950, Jim, Evelyn, her mother, younger brother, Louis and his wife, Pauline moved from the cold of the north to the warmth of Los Angeles. Soon thereafter, Brenda was born, followed in a few years by Sheila. In 1956, the Splitt family, by this time four strong, moved from Hollywood to Bakersfield. Evelyn was busy raising her family, but also found time to work for, among others, Watson Realty. In 1966, while still living in Bakersfield, Jim started his own company, Splitt X-Ray, and Evelyn worked as the office manager, all the time neglecting none of her duties as wife and mother. During this time, Jim and Evelyn were active members of the Bakersfield Country Club and Bakersfield Racquet Club, where she often played tennis. In 1972, the Splitts moved from Bakersfield back to the Los Angeles area, but never lost their love of the area that had been their home for so many years. Evelyn continued to work in various administrative positions until her retirement in 1978. Jim retired several years later and the two of them spent a long relaxing retirement; leading a quiet and comfortable life, made even better by the love of their daughters and five grandchildren. Last year they returned to Kern County, settling in Lake Isabella. They found this quiet corner of the world a true delight, a delight which continued until Evelyn experienced a sudden and final decline. Evelyn is survived by Jim, Brenda and Bill Ridge, Sheila and Jim Rosenberg; grandchildren, Brian, Michael (and wife, Jenny), Kevan, Tracey, and Robyn; sister-in-law, Pauline Richardson; niece, Gail Ward (and husband, David) and grand-nieces, Alice and Natalie. Lake Isabella Valley Mortuary Additional Comments: Volunteer submission - No relation to deceased. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/kern/obits/gob3227richards.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/caobfiles/ File size: 3.7 Kb