Evelyn Joyce Knisley Conaton, 87, of Lady Lake, Florida passed away December 12, 2025, in Lady Lake.
She was born December 20, 1927, in Pike County, Ohio to Elgar and Dorothy Mathena Knisley. She was a 1955 graduate of New Holland High School and completed her nursing diploma at Christ Hospital in Cincinnati.
Evelyn was a caregiver all of her life and worked anywhere from emergency rooms to surgery, from floor duty to nursing homes and even as director of nursing at several places in her career.
She met and married Robert James Conaton in 1968, and traveled with him wherever he worked. After nine years of marriage, Bob became ill with cancer, and she took care of him until he died on April 13, 1977.
Evelyn and Gale Hafley read a book about “Home is Where You Park It” and it gave them the idea to use Gale’s RV and travel. They named it “The Old Fool” and traveled south and worked wherever they parked it. They worked at nursing homes and hospitals and ended up in Florida and worked at the Leesburg Regional Hospital.
In 1994, Gale had a stroke and Evelyn cared for her until she passed. The same year, Evelyn’s mother moved in with her and until she, too, passed.
Evelyn was known around Leesburg as the butterfly lady because she gave everyone she met a crocheted butterfly, telling them that Jesus loves them.
In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by her parents and three brothers, Marvin Knisley and his wife Evelyn, Roger Knisley and Melvin Knisley.
She had no children but so enjoyed her nieces, Benjie, Suzanne, Angela Dawn and Lauri and nephews, Randy, Duke, Clay, Gene and Ken.
Evelyn is survived by her brother, Straud Knisley and his wife, Patricia, of Circleville, Ohio, a sister-in-law, DeAnne Knisley of Lawrenceburg, TN and nieces and nephews.
Arrangements are pending.
