Tributes

John R. Evans MD John Rucker Evans, a retired psychiatrist, died August 1 at Vitas hospice in San Antonio, Texas. He was 82. The son of a ship's tailor in the Navy, Evans was born February 21, 1929, during his mother's stay in Dallas while his father was at sea. His father learned of his arrival via telegram, and was introduced in person to his son a few weeks later when mother and child returned to Long Beach, Calif., where his father was stationed. Evans attended elementary and junior high school in San Diego, and high school and college in Seattle as his family moved with his father during his naval career. However, despite living most of his childhood on the West Coast, Evans always considered himself a native Texan given his birth in Dallas and his large extended family there. After graduating from the University of Washington with a degree in zoology, he promptly moved to Texas, where he was accepted at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. He graduated from UTMB in 1955 with a degree in medicine. While in Galveston, Evans met Helen Staggers of Port Arthur, Texas, a nurse at UTMB whom he married in 1958. After completing an internship at Robert B. Green Memorial Hospital in San Antonio and his residency at John Sealy Hospital in Galveston, Evans received his commission as a captain in the Air Force Medical Corps and was stationed in France from 1960 to 1962. In 1962, Evans and his wife returned to San Antonio where he opened his own medical practice. From 1963 to 1969 the couple adopted four children. They divorced in 1974. In 1985, he left his practice to accept a position as a civilian staff psychiatrist with the Army based in Landstuhl, Germany. After Evans retired in 1994, he returned to San Antonio, where he lived until his death. Throughout his life, Evans indulged in a range of hobbies and interests, included woodworking, fishing, model railroading, playing the bagpipes, building hammer and mountain dulcimers, and singing in a men's chorus group locally. Evans is survived by his sons Jack Evans and Bruce Evans, both of Seattle, Wash.; his daughters Sarah Evans-Politte of San Antonio and Martha King of League City, Texas; and six grandchildren. He also is survived by his longtime companion, Patricia Thomas of San Antonio. His only sibling, Martha Blaine of Las Vegas, Nev., predeceased him in 2009. Evans will be interred at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery and a memorial service is planned for October. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of John R. Evans to Harmony Foundation International, 110 Seventh Ave. N., Suite 200 Nashville, TN 37203, or online at harmonyfoundation.org.

Tributes

John R. Evans M.D.

February 21, 1929 - August 1, 2011