It is with sorrow and gratitude that we mark the passing of Evelyn J. Hyland of Plainville, CT — sorrow at the loss, gratitude for the life.
What follows is written with love, by those who knew her best.
There are losses that teach us the weight of a life.
Evelyn Julian Hyland, 97, the widow of William "Bill" Hyland of Forestville, died on Sunday (May 3, 2026) at Bristol Hospital. Mrs. Hyland was born in the Forestville section of Bristol on April 26, 1929, a daughter of the late John and Clara Julian, who emigrated from Italy to the United States in the early 1920s. A lifelong resident and dental hygienist, Mrs. Hyland graduated from Bristol High School in 1947 and then from the Forsyth School of Dental Hygiene in Boston. She became a dental hygienist in private practice in Bristol before marrying and taking a hiatus to raise her and her husband's three children. Afterward, she returned to dental hygiene as a hygienist for several schools within the Bristol Public School System. Mrs. Hyland was an avid wordsmith and enjoyed working on crossword puzzles and word-search games. She was also a sharp armchair competitor of "Jeopardy!" and "Wheel of Fortune." Mrs. Hyland was predeceased by her husband, Bill Hyland, who was a draftsman and an avid athlete before becoming a teacher and coach at St. Paul Catholic High School in Bristol. She is survived by her children - two sons and a daughter in-law, Frank and Diane Hyland of Kennebunkport, Maine, and John Hyland of New York City, and a daughter, Mary Hyland of Forestville, who lived with Mrs. Hyland and was her caretaker. She is also survived by a granddaughter and grandson-in-law, Katie Hyland Dion and Daniel Dion of Boston. She was predeceased by two sisters, Mary Julian Cascone of Forestville, and Lena Julian Gebo, also of Forestville, and by a brother, Leslie Julian of Bristol. She was also blessed with many nieces and nephews on both sides of the family.
Funeral services will be on the morning of Saturday, May 16, from the O'Brien Funeral Home, 24 Lincoln Avenue, Forestville. Friends and relatives may call at the funeral home that morning from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. before heading to St. Matthew Church at 120 Church Avenue in Forestville for a Funeral Mass at 10 a.m. Burial will follow in the family plot in St. Joseph Cemetery in Plainville. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Evelyn Hyland's memory to Bristol Home Care and Hospice, 32 Valley Street, Bristol, Conn. 06010.
To leave an online message of condolence, please visit Evelyn's tribute page at www.OBrien-FuneralHome.com
