Vurla Evelyn O’Hara, 88, of Marstons Mills passed away March 12 at home surrounded by her family. Born in 1931 in Gardner to the late Alvin Severance and Doris (Blake) Hill, Vurla was raised in Athol and was a graduate of Athol High School.

Vurla was a member of the Phillipston Congregational Church and a lifetime member of the Phillipston Historical Society. Vurla donated the building where the Historical Society now resides. She was an avid gardener until this past fall and she took pride in her garden. She won the Garden Achievement Award from the Falmouth Garden Club one year for her beautiful garden at her East Falmouth home. Vurla also was a volunteer for many years at the Falmouth Hospital. She loved to greet the patients that visited the Faxon Center and help them with their medical needs.

Vurla worked as an executive secretary at L.S. Starrett Co. in Athol.

Vurla is survived by her children, Scott and Peggy Bevis of Hopkinton, and Robert and Betty Anne Bevis of Marstons Mills. She had seven grandchildren and five great grandchildren and many nieces and nephews who she loved very much. She also is survived by her brother Kenneth E. Buzzell Jr. and his wife, Peggy, from Gardner.
She was predeceased by her sisters, Gloria Whitman and Judy Johnson, both of Phillipston, her first husband, Thomas E. Bevis, her second husband, Richard S. O’Hara, her sons, Steven T. Bevis and Randy J. Bevis, both from Texas, and a grandson, Garret Ralston of Athol.

Vurla will be missed by all her family and friends. Services, to be scheduled for a later date,, are under the care of the John-Lawrence Funeral Home (ccgfuneralhome.com). Memorial contributions can be made to Cape Cod Healthcare Foundation for VNA of Cape Cod, P.O. Box 370, Hyannis, MA 02601.