Dr. Evelyn Harberg

Dr. Evelyn Harbert, 91, of Memphis, formerly of Brinkley, passed away January 28, 2026.

She was a trailblazer who graduated from Southern College of Optometry in 1956 and took good care of her patients in Brinkley and surrounding area for over 30 years.

Shaped by the Great Depression and the rations of World War II, she always kept a stockpile of coffee and a few good pairs of shoes. She splurged on pocketbooks, cars, Hershey’s chocolate bars. She enjoyed teaching her mother how to drive a new thunderbird. Evelyn strived to be self-reliant, and cars were freedom.

Evelyn was preceded in death by Russian immigrant parents, Sarah Lepshitz and Hyman Harberg, who taught her that education was as essential as oxygen.

She is survived by the music of her heart, her daughter, Sarah Levy (David) of Brownsville, Tenn., and the crescendo of that music, her grandson, Jacob Hart Levy of Memphis, whom she taught the importance of determination.

Graveside service was Wednesday, February 4 at Oaklawn Cemetery in Little Rock. Memorials may be made to American Association of University Women, P.O. Box 98045, Washington, DC 20090.