Obituary of John Evans

JOHN EVAN ("RED") EVANS 1927-2015 John Evan Evans, beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and uncle, mathematician and man of song, born and raised in Casper, WY, passed away peacefully at home with family in Saint Paul, MN on June 10, 2015. He was preceded in death by his parents, brother, sister-in-law, and his son Joseph. John is survived by his wife Wilma, 14 children ("Lizzy! Jenny! Rachel! Tony! Mary! Sally! Paul! Clay! Katie! Larry! Therese! Frannie! Annie! Rosie!"), 20 grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, and extended family. John graduated high school in 1945 with a full scholarship for any school of his choosing, but with World War II ongoing, he promptly enlisted in the Navy. Selected to the Naval Air Corps, he was training as a pilot when the war ended, and was honorably discharged. John received his B.S. in Mathematics from the University of Wyoming, then while doing postgraduate studies in mathematics and physics, under Max Dehn and others, at Black Mountain College in North Carolina, he met and fell in love with art student Wilma Fuerstenberg. In 2015 they celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary. As a young man, John applied his varied interests working as a ‘computer,’ civil engineer, and surveyor. He worked as a research scientist on a team calculating nuclear blast effects and bomb yields, to help eliminate the need to perform live bomb explosions. He spent three-and-a-half years at Kaman Sciences Nuclear Division, in Colorado Springs, CO, before moving his then family of 10 to Minnesota in 1965. John spent nearly 30 years working for Control Data Corp. in MN, and then helped develop systems as a contract programmer at Technalysis Corp. and then software specialist for Compuware Corp. until retiring at age 75. A lifelong learner, John earned his private pilot’s license, studied airframe and propulsion maintenance, aircraft mechanics, aerobatics, and auto mechanics later in life. He also enjoyed studying Greek and Welsh languages. A classically trained pianist and voice student, he spread his love of music to his children, friends and neighbors. He co-founded and was a board member of Minnesota Youth Symphony, where he fed his interest in music through his family. He was also a member of the Civil Air Patrol. John sang in the Twin Cities Catholic Chorale and Schola Cantorum at St. Agnes Church. He was a Lifetime Member of the St. David's Society of Minnesota, and traveled across the U.S. and to Wales with the North American Welsh Choir. Genuinely kind, curious, knowledgeable and witty, John was a passionate and interested companion, and he and Wilma were appreciated for their ability to cut a rug. Many of our fondest memories of our father come from road trips to Oshkosh Air Show and Santa Fe, NM. A funeral and Burial Mass will be held at the Church of St Agnes on Friday, August 7, 2015. Interment of Ashes and Reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to The Little Sisters of the Poor , or to The St David's Society of MN ()