Elizabeth 'Evalyn' Walch, loved her family and plants

Elizabeth "Evalyn" Thompson Walch, 93, passed away peacefully Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025.

Evalyn was born and raised on a farm in Smithland, Ky., daughter of the late Minnie Lindsey Thompson and Willis Barney Thompson Sr. As a child and teen she adored reading, spending time outdoors and riding horses. In the early 1950s, she met her future husband, Anthony (Tony) Walch Jr., a soldier on leave from the Korean War. They married and moved to his home in Gambrills, Md., where they continued to live until they retired and moved to Onancock, Va., in 1987.

Evalyn was passionate about gardening — she never met a plant that didn't thrive under her care! After raising her family, she enrolled in college courses at the age of 45 and earned an associate degree in horticulture and greenhouse management from the University of Maryland Institute of Applied Agriculture. As a nursery worker, she specialized in raising orchids, herbs and roses, and in 1984, she designed the original Historic Fisher-Martin Herb Garden that still exists in Zwaanendael Park in Lewes.

After retirement, Evalyn and Tony realized a lifelong dream by purchasing a 120-acre farm on Pungoteague Creek on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Working together, they placed the farm into a permanent conservation easement with the Virginia Eastern Shore Land Trust, and created showplace gardens and wildlife habitats that were featured in garden tours and magazines. She was also a very active member of the Virginia Orchid Society and Andrew Chapel United Methodist Church. Evalyn lived her last few years in Rehoboth Beach to be closer to family.

Evalyn was a strong, gentle, talented and generous woman who loved her family above all else. When asked what she was proudest of in her life, Evalyn always listed her 65-year marriage, her daughters and granddaughter, and her legacy in preserving forever the natural beauty and habitat of their Onancock farm. Her family and friends will always remember her doing the things she loved best — gardening, reading, sewing, crabbing and birdwatching.

Evalyn was preceded in death by her husband, Tony, and siblings: Charles, Willis 'Pete' Jr. and Marjorie. She is survived by her two daughters: Marianne Walch and Sandra West; granddaughter Joanna Lonergan, and two great-grandchildren.

A private memorial is planned. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations in Evalyn's memory to the Virginia Eastern Shore Land Trust, veslt.org, or to Delaware Hospice, delawarehospice.org.

Visit Elizabeth’s Life Memorial at parsellfuneralhomes.com.