Aptos

Evelyn Chohat Hershatter passed away peacefully on April 27 in Aptos at the age of 100. She had been a resident of Santa Cruz County since 2014.

Evelyn Aviva Chohat was born to Gittel (Brook) and David Chohat in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Her parents were immigrants from what is now Belarus. Her first language was Yiddish, and as a child she participated in Yiddish after-school programs organized by the Workmen’s Circle. She graduated from Central High School in Bridgeport in 1941, then received a B.S. in education from the Teachers College of Connecticut in New Britain and an M.A. in international relations and history from Clark University. She returned to Central High School to teach English in 1945.

Evelyn married Richard Hershatter in 1948 and they raised three children in Connecticut; the marriage later ended in divorce. She was a highly skilled seamstress who made many outfits for herself and her children, as well as inventive Halloween costumes. For two years she was in charge of the home visit program for foreign scholars studying at Yale, in which foreign scholars were matched with residents of the New Haven area. An avid follower of national politics, she was president of the League of Women Voters in West Haven, CT, and after moving to Branford, CT, she helped organize and lead a chapter there.

After four years as a substitute teacher in the junior and senior high schools in Branford, in 1967 Evelyn was hired as a reading consultant at Daniel Hand High School in Madison, Connecticut, where she taught for twenty-three years. At her request, Project Learn supplied Daniel Hand with a fully equipped reading lab, where she taught college prep and SAT courses, as well as a reading course for juniors and remedial courses. In 1970, she received a Sixth-Year Certificate in Reading from Southern Connecticut State College. For the rest of her life, she maintained strong connections with former students.

For many years, Evelyn participated in a Yiddish literature class held at Yale, and for two semesters taught a Yiddish class for Yale Hillel. She enjoyed sailing her small sailboat and serving as a crew member on larger boats, and served as treasurer of the Shoreline Sailing Club for nine years. She could open a Scrabble game using all 7letters, nail the triple word score and never relinquish the lead. She loved dancing (including jitterbugging), shopping, collecting seashells, and reading late into the night. After her retirement in 1990, she divided her time between Branford and Key Biscayne, Florida, so she could swim, snorkel, and bicycle every day. Before and after her retirement, she traveled extensively with family and close friends, including memorable trips to China, Russia, Jordan, Kenya, and the Caribbean.

In 2014, Evelyn moved to Dominican Oaks, where she made a large circle of new friends, became chair of the Movie Committee and an active book club member, and celebrated her 100th birthday with her extended family. In 2023 she moved to Aegis Living of Aptos. She took a great interest in the staff who assisted in her care, engaging them in conversation and dispensing life advice. She is survived by her children Gail (Grace), Nancy (Gerard), and Bruce (Andrea), as well as grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Her family expresses their gratitude to the staffs of Dominican Oaks, Lifespan, Visiting Angels, Aegis, and Hospice of Santa Cruz.