Evelyn Davidson was born in Northville, Michigan. Her father was the superintendant of an aircraft company in Nashville, Tennessee where she got her first job as a typist. When the war broke out, she became an aircraft mechanic and was a civilian employee of the Air Force. In order to secure the job, she had to pass several rigorous tests and complete comprehensive training. When she applied for the job, she thought it was for a secretarial position, and was surprised to learn that she would be working as a mechanic. After her job with the Air Force, she bucked rivets for Lockheed in Marietta, Georgia.