Evan David McKenna

Evan was born on March 30, 1989 to Michael and Mary (Tresner) McKenna in Oneonta, where he lived his entire life.

Evan will forever be cherished by family and friends for his many endearing qualities. He was a very humble person who didn’t like being the center of attention, but was also smart and intellectually curious, storing up nuggets of intriguing information on, it seemed, just about any topic that would come up in conversation. Though essentially a shy, quiet person, he was also very funny and quick witted, but never in a mean-spirited way or at anyone else’s expense. Evan was the most kind, gentle, big-hearted young man who showed great empathy for other people and never spoke disparagingly of anyone. He also had a great love for animals, especially his beloved Australian sheepdog Willie, whom he liked to take for walks and to whom he would talk at length as if Willie understood every word he was saying. Above everything, though, Evan was a wonderful son and brother. He made for great company on area hikes with his dad, and he was always a lot of fun at family gatherings and nights out on the town with his brother and sister. But surpassing even these bonds was his relationship with his mom. He was her beautiful baby boy, and their bond was especially close. They were each other’s best friend, and he stayed close by her side until his very last day.

When Evan was young, his great passion was skateboarding. He spent countless hours at the Oneonta skate park picking himself up off the pavement, over and over, as he practiced and perfected the many seemingly impossible tricks that good skateboarders can do. And Evan was good. Even before the official city skate park was built, he and his friends created an after-hours pop-up skate park in the parking lot next to his house that attracted lots of other young skaters from the area. It was also at that time that Evan earned a lasting, inside-joke-kind-of nickname when someone misheard his name as “Vern.”

Evan also loved music, especially hard rock, and when he was in middle school he taught himself to play bass guitar with great proficiency, and even formed a band with his friends Matt Payton, Nick Herbert, and Mike Falco. They called themselves The Implants, often practicing in Evan’s mom’s attic, and the highlight of their meteoric career was an afternoon performance at the Autumn Café.

Years later, the Autumn Café would play an even larger role in Evan’s life when he joined the Autumn family as an employee after graduating from high school. His job and the people he worked for and with for 14 years, especially Tim Johnson and Wayne and Rebecca Carrington, meant a lot to him. He never once called in sick in all those years, working hard not only for them, but also, in his own humble way, in service of the Oneonta community.

Evan is survived by his mother Mary; his father Michael and his wife Susie Webster; his brother Brian and sister Katie; his paternal grandparents Robert L. and Patricia A. (Begley) McKenna (Frederica, DE); as well as numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins.

A celebration of Evan’s life will be held at a later date.

If anyone would like to honor Evan’s memory, please consider making a donation in his name to a local animal shelter.