Evelyn McWilliams mourned

News Story
- 30 Jun 2022 ( #1083 ) - Wauconda, IL, United States
1 min read
Evelyn McWilliams
Evelyn McWilliams

The Material Handling Equipment Distributor Association (MHEDA) is mourning the passing of Evelyn McWilliams. She passed away on Sunday, June 19th at the age of 80.

MHEDA CEO Liz Richards told members: “Many of you knew Evelyn who was a loyal and dedicated team member at MHEDA for many years. I worked with Evelyn from 1995 until her retirement in 2007. She was an enormous help to so many of us; she loved MHEDA, its members, and her co-workers. 

“We learned this week that she passed away on Sunday.”

According to an online obituary, Evelyn died at her home in the care of her family. 

“Evelyn will be remembered as a kind-hearted, hard-working, straight-talking woman who enjoyed being outside on a beautiful day and loved celebrating the Fourth of July in Libertyville,” family members say.

She earned both her Bachelor’s Degree from Lake Forest College and Master’s Degree from Webster University while a married mother of three, working full-time. She looked forward to visiting new cities as much as a good stay-cation of going to movies, the Chicago Botanic Garden, Art Institute of Chicago, and her own backyard patio.  

“She devoted her life to her family and taught her children that they were children of God who were bestowed with blessings and beloved by her,” the obituary states.

Industry colleague Brian Harris describes Evelyn as “such a cheerful, kind and fun person”.

“I had the pleasure of dealing with her many times over the years through MHEDA. She was so upbeat and professional,” he notes. 

“It was never just business when I spoke with her. We always shared some jokes and laughter. 

“The world desperately needs more Evelyns right now,” he adds. “Knowing her enriched my life and my heart goes out to her family and many friends.”

Connie the container dog dies
Connie the container dog dies 4 Jul 2024 - Rockville, MD, United States - 1 min read
Domenick Iellimo remembered
Domenick Iellimo remembered 26 Jan 2023 - Long Valley, NJ, United States - 2 min read
Robert P. Currie remembered
Robert P. Currie remembered 22 Dec 2022 - Worcester, MA, United States - 2 min read
Previously about:
Movers & Shakers News Story - 26 Jun 2025 - 1 min read
Do you have materials handling news? Submit your news here

Since July 2000, Forkliftaction News has been your guide to the developments that are shaping your industry.

Starting today we are also looking back on some of the key news stories from our extensive news archive.

In the news email and on the website, you'll see links to stories that were 'leading our news' multiple years ago, with topics spanning world-first products, big acquisitions, and major industry shifts.
We hope you enjoy this unique insight into the materials handling industry!

Words of support …

Thanks to advertising with Forkliftaction, GemOne has experienced a significant enhancement in our online presence. Working with Forkliftaction has enabled us to boost engagement with our targeted audience, resulting in an increase in information requests and downloads of valuable materials from our website. Forkliftaction has consistently delivered outstanding results, helping us to effectively connect with the right audience.

Justine Lootens, CEO

Are you recruiting? Find your ideal candidate among a diverse range of materials handling professionals:

Forkliftaction's JOB MARKET

It’s the year 2000. You’re in front of a boxy beige desktop waiting for the screeching ramblings of your dial-up to reach its finale. You go to Yahoo!, MSN, or maybe AOL, and start the mind-numbing process of finding your very specific needle in the digital haystack. And with web pages loading one image at a time, patience isn’t just a virtue – it’s a requirement!

As clumsy as this early iteration seems now, this technology was the great enabler that allowed Forkliftaction to connect to the industry across the globe.  

To everyone who has connected with Forkliftaction in the past 25 years, thank you for your contribution to our success! We feel deeply touched by your words of encouragement.

What has Forkliftaction meant to you? Drop us a line.

Inside The News
This week Forkliftaction News is celebrating its 25th anniversary! A wonderful achievement given we launched at a time when just 6% of the world’s population were internet users, according to Internet World Stats . Over the coming weeks, we will be sharing stories about our history and rolling out more celebrations, so keep an eye out... Continue reading

Are you recruiting? Find your ideal candidate among a diverse range of materials handling professionals:

Forkliftaction's JOB MARKET

It’s the year 2000. You’re in front of a boxy beige desktop waiting for the screeching ramblings of your dial-up to reach its finale. You go to Yahoo!, MSN, or maybe AOL, and start the mind-numbing process of finding your very specific needle in the digital haystack. And with web pages loading one image at a time, patience isn’t just a virtue – it’s a requirement!

As clumsy as this early iteration seems now, this technology was the great enabler that allowed Forkliftaction to connect to the industry across the globe.  

To everyone who has connected with Forkliftaction in the past 25 years, thank you for your contribution to our success! We feel deeply touched by your words of encouragement.

What has Forkliftaction meant to you? Drop us a line.