Evelyn Lee Arthur Age-77 passed away at Tampa General Hospital on Sunday February 3, 2019 after a long illness. Evelyn was born on December 16, 1941 in Durham, North Carolina. She was a resident of Arcadia for the last 20 years coming from Collier County. She attended Temple Baptist Church and was an active member of the John Wesley Whidden United Daughters of the Confederacy in Lake Placid, FL, The Order of the Confederate Rose, The Black Rose Society and a supporter of The Sons of the Confederate Veterans and The League of the South. She enjoyed honoring her ancestors and researching confederate soldiers gravesites and ancestry here in Desoto County. She also enjoyed cooking and spending time with her loving family. Evelyn was also a descendent of Major Charles Quinn Petty a subordinate officer of Robert E. Lee.

She is survived by her husband, Leon Arthur of Arcadia, FL; a daughter, Wanda (Jose) Rodriguez of Naples, FL; two brothers, Ronald Staker of Ohio and Terry Staker of Fort Wayne, Indiana; one sister Patricia Staker also of Fort Wayne, Indiana; two granddaughters, Lindsay (Michael) Stull of Naples, FL and Jessica Rodriguez of Naples, FL. She is preceded in death by her first husband, Ronald Royce Rimes; her parents, William Thomas and Sherrell B. Lee; four brothers, William Thomas Lee Jr. ; Benjamin Lee, James Lee and Thomas Newman Lee.

A visitation will be held on Friday February 8, 2019 from 10-11 am at Ponger-Kays-Grady Funeral Home 50 North Hillsborough Avenue Arcadia where a funeral service will begin at 11:00 am. Pastors Doug King and Danny King will be officiating. Interment to follow in Fort Ogden Cemetery.