James Raleigh Evans

James (Jim) Raleigh Evans was born in 1934 to Vivian and Clifton Evans, the third of five children. He is survived by his significant other, Gertrud (Trudy) Wolfbauer, sister Virginia Kleinsasser, children Kathleen Evans Batlan, Karen Evans Nychay, Susan Loftus-Voorsanger, Jim Evans, Michelle Gjersee-Mcdowell, and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

He spent his entire life in the Puget Sound area, which he loved dearly. After graduating from Lincoln High School in Tacoma in 1952, he worked at a variety of different venues and started to invest in real estate. In 1956 he was drafted into the army and served for 2 years in Germany, traveling to various European countries and visiting relatives in Denmark. After the army, he pursued a career in construction, during which he obtained a multitude of certificates in the field. His other great interest was flying. He challenged himself to obtain not only a private pilot license but persisted until he obtained a commercial pilot license.

At this crossroad in his life, he decided to stay with his first love, building houses. Even after his official retirement, until well into his 80’s, he remodeled a series of homes, leaving a lasting legacy all over the greater Tacoma area.

He was a man who embodied the phrase “still waters run deep.” His eyes said volumes, often with a glint in them. Though he didn’t tell others about donations he made to organizations he cared about, his family discovered his generosity after his death. Also discovered was a lifetime of keepsakes about his children, all meticulously organized. Some with obvious pride and significance: a law degree, a wedding photo, a long-forgotten school band concert program. Some with deeper significance than readily apparent: a science fair certificate from a horticulture project that had been inspired by his love of gardening, and the beginning of a lifetime of passionate gardening in the next generation.

His quiet and deep observation of the world extended to his love of nature. He observed it from above while piloting or hiking the wealth of mountain trails in the Pacific Northwest as well as through his hobby of photography.