Obituary of Evelyn Bach

Evelyn Bach, devoted to her family and her church Soon after her birth, Evelyn Bach was baptized at St. Cecilia Roman Catholic Church in Independence. The lifelong Independence resident married William Thomas Bach Sr. at the church in 1948. All five of her children were baptized there, and three of her sons were married there. On Saturday she'll be buried there. For Mrs. Bach, who died Wednesday at 78, much of her life centered on that parish. "The parish was very important to her," said her daughter, Jean Bach of Elsmere. Aside from being a regular at Mass, Mrs. Bach served on the church's altar society most of her life, including a few years as president. Those duties included overseeing the society's annual Christmas bazaar and auction. She also worked many years at the church's annual Labor Day festival/fund-raiser. She always baked several cream pies for the occasion, including one for the men frying the chickens. One year, when the altar society helped buy new hymnals, she spent several days pasting the names of contributors into the books. She did everything the church asked her to do, her daughter said. She even met her husband at church, when they were part of a youth group there called the Cecilian Club. They married two years after she graduated from Simon Kenton High School in 1946. Her major occupation in life was making a home for her children and husband. "She was like the quintessential mother," her daughter said. "She was there when we came home from school, she was there to help with our homework, she was there to put three meals on the table, she was our playmate." She did the same for her 10 grandchildren as well. She loved to play the card game euchre with them, or croquet when the weather cooperated. She enjoyed quilting, cooking and refinishing furniture. Her daughter recalled a china cabinet, a family heirloom, which showed up at their house in pieces. Mrs. Bach put it together, stripped it and refinished it into a beautiful piece, she said. "There was never a challenge that was too much for her," her daughter said. "She would find a way to do it." Survivors other than her daughter and husband include sons, William Thomas Bach Jr., Dr. Greg Bach, and Gerald Bach, all of Walton; another daughter, Carol Ann Bach of Independence; a brother, Carl Scherder of Independence; sisters, Helen Bach of Morning View and Loretta Placke of Independence; and 10 grandchildren. Mass of Christian burial will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at St. Cecilia Church, Independence. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at the church. Burial will be in St. Cecilia Church Cemetery. Memorials are suggested to St. Cecilia Church Building Debt Reduction Fund, 5313 Madison Pike, Independence, Ky. 41051. Chambers & Grubbs Funeral Home, Florence, is handling the arrangements.