Evelyn A. Agnew, aka “The Queen”, 97, of East Providence passed away on Saturday, March 7, 2026 at St. Antoine Residence. She was the wife of the late Herman M. Agnew. Born in Providence, she was a daughter of the late Joao and Maria (Santos) Rocha.
She was the beloved mother of Steven Agnew (Diane), Donna Giarrusso (Gene), David Agnew and Robert Agnew (Tina-Marie); loving grandmother of Jaime Halligan, Steven Agnew Jr., David Agnew Jr., Brandon Agnew, Taylor Agnew, Nicholas Agnew and Bryan Agnew; caring great grandmother of David Agnew III, Jack Halligan, Maura Halligan, Joseph Agnew, Cayden Agnew, Victoria Agnew, Hunter Agnew, Isabella Agnew, and Liam Agnew.
She was the sister of the late Deolinda Fagundes, Eva Enos, Laura Esposito, Hilda Costa, Angelina Lewis, John Rocha, Frank Rocha, James Lewis, Tony Lewis and Antone Lewis.
Evelyn loved music, food, and being waited on. She lived her life according to the song “My Way” by Frank Sinatra. Evelyn was the true matriarch of her family, a steady and loving center who, alongside her husband Herman, built a home where faith, celebration, and unwavering support were a way of life. She fostered deep family bonds through her generosity, her incredible cooking, her open door, and her remarkable ability to make everyone feel cared for. Loved ones often turned to Evelyn for advice and guidance as she had an extraordinary intuition for knowing when something wasn’t right and offered honest, direct counsel always with the intention of helping others make things whole again. She lived her faith through her actions, modeling compassion, strength, and integrity every day. For her family, there simply was no such thing as not getting along and Evelyn made sure of that. Her presence shaped generations and her legacy of love will continue to guide them.
Her visitation and funeral will be held on Thursday, March 12, 2026 from 9:00-10:00 am in the PERRY-McSTAY FUNERAL HOME, 2555 Pawtucket Avenue, East Providence with a Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 am in St. Brendan Church, 60 Turner Avenue, Riverside. Burial will follow in Gate of Heaven Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory to Saint Antoine Residence, 10 Rhodes Avenue, North Smithfield, RI 02896 would be appreciated.
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