In the words of Henry Ward Beecher, “When the sun finally drops below the horizon in the early evening, evidence of its work remains for some time. The skies continue to glow for a full hour after its departure.

“In the same way, when a good or a great person’s life comes to its final sunset, the skies of this world are illuminated until long after they are out of view. Such a person does not die from this world...for when they depart they leave much of themselves behind...and being dead, they still speak.”

This could have been written by Beecher for Evelyn Breting, who gave so much of her life to the Town of Fountain Hills, leaving legacies that will never die. At her memorial service on Saturday at St. Anthony on the Desert, at which she was a charter member, the Fountain Hills Community Chorus, which was her idea, performed.

Those in the congregation spoke fondly of their “interviews” with Evelyn at the old Community Center where she held court and brought many of the volunteers into positions they may still hold. She was a genius at assessing people’s skills and finding just the right place for them to shine in her little town.

Fountain Hills was truly blessed to share her gifts for so many years.