Evelyn J. Barton, 102, of Moline, Illinois, formerly of Alpha, passed away Monday, March 30, 2026, at Clarissa C. Cook Hospice House in Bettendorf, Iowa. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. to noon Tuesday, April 7, 2026, at Alpha United Methodist Church in Alpha, Illinois. The funeral service will directly follow at noon. Burial will be in Alpha Cemetery. Memorials can be made to Alpha United Methodist Church or Alpha Mobile Meals. Peterson-Wallin-Knox Funeral Home in Alpha is in charge of arrangements. Online condolences can be made at www.petersonwallinknox.com.
Evelyn J. Barton was born December 13, 1923, at the family farm near Preemption, Illinois, to Latimer and Tina (Armstrong) Holdsworth. She attended Union School, a rural grade school, and graduated from Viola High School in 1941. She then attended Business College in Moline.
Evelyn married Lawrence Barton on June 27, 1942. They were married for 79 years before his passing on July 16, 2021. She was a homemaker and assisted her husband in his auto body business, Barton’s Body Shop, as a bookkeeper and “go for” errands.
Evelyn enjoyed golfing, bowling, and spending 30 winters in southern Texas. She was a member of the Alpha United Methodist Church and Oxford American Legion Auxiliary. She also volunteered as a cub scout den mother, a 4-H leader, and was a cook for Alpha Mobile Meals for many years.
Those left to cherish Evelyn’s memory include her children, Gary (Judy) Barton of Alpha, Illinois, Roseann (Russ) Collingwood of Wallace, North Carolina, and Curtis (Susan) Barton of Silver Springs, Maryland; grandchildren, Gail (Colin) McNiece of Scituate, Massachusetts, Erica (Jon) Thorstenson of Woodhull, Illinois, Erin (Rodney) Gardner of Bessemer City, North Carolina, Brian Collingwood of Mathews, North Carolina, Andrew Barton of Farmingdale, New York, and Kevin Barton of Shelton, Washington; great-grandchildren, Ella McNiece, Cole McNiece, Neala McNiece, Leah Reed, Devin Reed, Gracie Gardner, and Peyton Gardner; brother, Kenneth Holdsworth of Preemption, Illinois; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Evelyn was preceded in death by her parents, her spouse, and two sisters, Arlene Tary and Dorothy Zwicker.
