Evelyn Frances DuBois, Retired Somers School District Teacher, Dies at 99

Evelyn Frances DuBois died peacefully at Waterview Hills Nursing Home in Purdys on March 7. She was 99.

DuBois was born July 17, 1913, in the town of Gardiner to the late Frank and Grace Wilklow DuBois. She attended school in Gardiner and New Paltz and received a teaching degree from the New Paltz Normal School in 1934. She enjoyed a long and rewarding teaching career in New Paltz, Walden and Somers.

The woman started her teaching career at the two-room schoolhouse in Gardiner.In one room, she taught children of all ages about reading, writing and arithmetic. While, in the other room her younger sister Marion DuBois taught music, choir and art.

Children were an important part of the woman's life. Over the course of a teaching career that spanned nearly 40 years, she touched the lives of many children and was fond of recalling her students.

After retiring from the Somers School district in 1973, DuBois and several of her closest friends traveled the world.

She was a member of the Dutch Reformed Church in Gardiner and was a long-time member of the First Presbyterian Church in Katonah. She also belonged to the Presbyterian Women’s Group, the Katonah Women’s Civic Club, the Retired Teachers Association of Somers and Northern Westchester. In addition to being an accomplished seamstress and knitter, DuBois had a passion for card games and was known for her skill at Bridge. 

Along with her sister Marion, the woman was proud to have grown up on a dairy farm in rural New York. Throughout her life she extolled humility and grace and placed great importance on the simple things.

DuBois is survived by her nephew and his wife, Dwight and Joan Mossman of Brewster, NY; her nephew, Garrett Mossman of North Salem, NY; her niece, Marion Mossman and her partner, Gerianne Carillo of Milford, NY; five great nieces and nephews, Lauren, Sean, Ryan and David Mossman, of Brewster, NY; and Carly Mossman-Carillo of Milford, NY.

Family and friends are welcome at the Clark Associates Funeral Home in Katonah on Tuesday, March 12 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Funeral services for DuBois will take place at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, March 13 at the First Presbyterian Church in Katonah. A graveside service will take place following the funeral service at the New Paltz Rural Cemetery, New Paltz, NY.