Sheldon James Evans

Larchmont - Sheldon James Evans, of Larchmont, died peacefully Saturday, December 21, 2019 at The Greens at Greenwich in Conn, where he had been lovingly cared for since February, 2017. A close friend and a trusted aide were with him at the time. He was exactly 101 and a half.

Evans was born June 21, 1918, in the birthing room in his family's homestead on Yeager Avenue in Forty Fort, Pa, to Sheldon Reynolds and Minnie Yeager Evans. He graduated from Forty Fort High School in 1936. After receiving a bachelor's degree in business from Union College in Schenectady, NY, in 1940, Evans worked with his father at the Second National Bank of Wilkes-Barre in PA.

He joined the Army in May, 1941. After leading platoons of soldiers in the U.S., becoming a Sharpshooter, and participating in the Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP), Evans boarded the Aquitania in March, 1944 for the trans-Atlantic crossing to Great Britain. Immediately following D-Day, he requested a transfer to the trucking corps "to get into the fight in France." His unit landed on Omaha Beach in Normandy in July, 1944, about a month after D-Day. 1st Sergeant Evans's unit, part of the trucking corps nicknamed the Red Ball Express, shuttled supplies, fuel and ammunition to Patton's army battling at the front. Once Paris was liberated on August 15, they moved into Belgium, where his company serviced trucks during the Battle of the Bulge, exactly 75 years ago. Evans served in Germany from March 1945 through the end of the War and finally left Berlin in late October 1945. From the end of May, when the Allies liberated Berlin and the War ended, until late October, he remained with his trucking unit, which was utilized to return stolen artwork to Northern Europe. He sailed home from Le Havre on a Liberty Ship and was discharged from the Army on Nov 15th, 1945.

On his birthday in 1947, he met Phyllis Hewson. They married in 1949 and lived in White Plains before moving to Larchmont in 1954. Evans completed his MBA and EdD at Columbia University/Teachers College in the early 1950s and served as Assistant Superintendent of Schools for Business Management in the Mamaroneck School District until the early 1970s. Evans then consulted for several years before joining the New York State Department of Education in 1974, where he performed school and program accreditation until his retirement in 1989.

Evans was an active member of St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Mamaroneck, where he was married in 1949. He was a Sunday school teacher, lay reader, usher, and had been a member of the vestry, worship committee, rector search committee, and Bible study groups. He also regularly volunteered at the Church's Pumpkin Patch and Christmas Fair. In addition to reading, attending community cultural events and keeping up with news and politics, Evans enjoyed traveling with his wife and family. He spent childhood summers at Harvey's Lake in Luzerne County, Pa and most summers since 1947 in Rehoboth Beach, Del, with his family. He was a master packer, preparing the vehicles for trips of all lengths, and he was an intrepid driver on excursions to Nova Scotia, Cape Cod, college reunions, and other East Coast destinations. Evans also traveled and cruised in Europe, Alaska and the Caribbean. A highlight was his 2008 WWII history tour—where he retraced his steps of six decades earlier in Normandy, Belgium, Luxembourg and Berlin—and was welcomed as a returning War hero. A lifelong fisherman, he enjoyed many such adventures with his son Jim from Canada to the Mid-Atlantic. Evans was also a fan of the New York Giants, Rangers, Knicks and Yankees.

He was predeceased by his wife, Phyllis, and his sister, Winifred Evans Davies. He is survived by his four children, Shelley Evans (Marion Spillman) of Elkton, MD; James (Terri) Evans of Edgewater, MD; Thomas (Joan) Evans of Ridgefield, CT; and John (Karen) Evans of New Rochelle; two grandchildren, Chris and Brittany; and two nieces, Catherine Evans Davies and Wendy Evans Watson (Albert).

A Funeral Service will be held Saturday, March 28, 2020, at 11:00 a.m. at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Mamaroneck with reception immediately following in Heathcote Parish Hall. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Thomas Episcopal Church (168 W. Boston Post Rd, Mamaroneck, NY 10543), Kemper Memorial Park Preservation Fund (3 Highland Rd, Larchmont, NY 10538) or your favorite charity.

Published in the The Journal News from Dec. 30, 2019 to Jan. 1, 2020

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