Evalyn Denney Stadler passed away on October 28, 2025, at the age of 96, in her home in Silver Spring, MD.
Born in Kansas City, Missouri on July 11, 1929, Evalyn grew up both studious and athletic, ably competing with her brothers Bill and Mike. After graduating from Belton High School, she entered the University of Missouri in Columbia, MO, where she pledged the sorority Alpha Gamma Delta and majored in sociology. During her youth, she cultivated lifelong talents as a pianist, tennis player, skater, gardener, and DIY home renovator.
After a spell as a social worker, she married Maury Tuckerman “Tuck” Stadler, a journalist and WWII navy veteran, in Kansas City in 1953. A few years later, Tuck’s work took them to Oklahoma, where they welcomed two daughters, Priscilla and Frances. In 1962, the couple moved to the Riverdale neighborhood of New York City, where they lived for over thirty years, adding a son, Gustavus, to the family in 1966. Evalyn embraced both the neighborhood and the city, being sure that the kids were exposed to its historical monuments and cultural offerings in art, music, and dance. At the same time, she maintained close relationships with her Missouri family, where the children spent many summers alongside cousins on their grandfather’s farm. In 1980, she returned to full-time employment, overseeing the Central Records department in the Barnard College registrar’s office. She seemed to make friends effortlessly, and her time at Barnard–which included participation in labor actions with her union colleagues–was no exception.
In 1995, Evalyn retired, and she and Tuck moved from Riverdale to Bethesda, MD to be closer to their new grandson, Christophe Itsweire, son of Frances and husband Eric Itsweire. In succeeding years, she forged a strong bond with Christophe while also acting as primary caregiver to Tuck as his health gradually declined. In 2009, Tuck’s health needs prompted their move to the Riderwood retirement community in Silver Spring; Tuck died a month after the move. Evalyn stayed at Riderwood, becoming a widely known welcoming face, trusted friend, and vital supporter of residents facing greater physical and neurological challenges. She continued to serve these roles in the community until the very end.
Her children remember her as a fiercely loving mother, and as someone with an exceptional gift for making space for people to experience and pursue joy. She left us as she lived–as our absolute model of a gracious, kind, compassionate human being, traits tightly connected to her wide-ranging concern for and curiosity about the world at large. She cultivated our own curiosity, and treated our expressive passions (art, dance, writing, music) as supremely important rather than mere hobbies or distractions. And, she was hilarious and could light up a room with her laughter. We will miss her always.
Memorial plans are TBA. In the meantime, please send donations in her memory to Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières or Maryland Youth Ballet (Fonseca Scholarship Fund)
Born in Kansas City, Missouri on July 11, 1929, Evalyn grew up both studious and athletic, ably competing with her brothers Bill and Mike. After graduating from Belton High School, she entered the University of Missouri in Columbia, MO, where she pledged the sorority Alpha Gamma Delta and majored in sociology. During her youth, she cultivated lifelong talents as a pianist, tennis player, skater, gardener, and DIY home renovator.
After a spell as a social worker, she married Maury Tuckerman “Tuck” Stadler, a journalist and WWII navy veteran, in Kansas City in 1953. A few years later, Tuck’s work took them to Oklahoma, where they welcomed two daughters, Priscilla and Frances. In 1962, the couple moved to the Riverdale neighborhood of New York City, where they lived for over thirty years, adding a son, Gustavus, to the family in 1966. Evalyn embraced both the neighborhood and the city, being sure that the kids were exposed to its historical monuments and cultural offerings in art, music, and dance. At the same time, she maintained close relationships with her Missouri family, where the children spent many summers alongside cousins on their grandfather’s farm. In 1980, she returned to full-time employment, overseeing the Central Records department in the Barnard College registrar’s office. She seemed to make friends effortlessly, and her time at Barnard–which included participation in labor actions with her union colleagues–was no exception.
In 1995, Evalyn retired, and she and Tuck moved from Riverdale to Bethesda, MD to be closer to their new grandson, Christophe Itsweire, son of Frances and husband Eric Itsweire. In succeeding years, she forged a strong bond with Christophe while also acting as primary caregiver to Tuck as his health gradually declined. In 2009, Tuck’s health needs prompted their move to the Riderwood retirement community in Silver Spring; Tuck died a month after the move. Evalyn stayed at Riderwood, becoming a widely known welcoming face, trusted friend, and vital supporter of residents facing greater physical and neurological challenges. She continued to serve these roles in the community until the very end.
Her children remember her as a fiercely loving mother, and as someone with an exceptional gift for making space for people to experience and pursue joy. She left us as she lived–as our absolute model of a gracious, kind, compassionate human being, traits tightly connected to her wide-ranging concern for and curiosity about the world at large. She cultivated our own curiosity, and treated our expressive passions (art, dance, writing, music) as supremely important rather than mere hobbies or distractions. And, she was hilarious and could light up a room with her laughter. We will miss her always.
Memorial plans are TBA. In the meantime, please send donations in her memory to Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières or Maryland Youth Ballet (Fonseca Scholarship Fund)
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