Arlene Evans

1932 - 2012

Arlene Evans
1932 - 2012


Arlene Evans, age 79, passed away peacefully on August 28, 2012 after a brave fight with dementia. A longtime Auburn resident, she spent her last five years in the Bay Area to be near her family after the death of her husband of 48 years, Don Evans.
Born in San Francisco in 1932, Arlene was the daughter of Gerald and Edrie Summers. After graduating from nursing school in the early 1950s, she worked as a nurse in Hilo, Hawaii and then in Yosemite, where she met Don. They married in San Francisco and moved to Colfax, where Arlene treated tuberculosis patients in Weimar. In 1974, she and her family moved to Auburn, where Arlene worked as a school nurse for many years serving schools throughout Placer County.
Arlene worked as a volunteer with various local organizations, including adult literacy, Friends of the Library, and the Democratic party. She was a writer and editor who published numerous articles in local and national publications. As a school nurse, she often diagnosed children with CVD (or "color blindness") and wrote two books about the condition, one for children and one for adults. She is also the author of a romantic comedy novel, Dinner for Two.
Arlene was predeceased by two brothers, Bob Summers and Gerald Summers of San Francisco; and a sister, Edrie Davis of Raleigh, North Carolina. She is survived by her daughters, Ann Knight of Leucadia, Kathleen Evans of Santa Cruz, and Crystal Benner of Pleasanton; sons-in-law, Bruce Knight, Dave Rhine, and Howard Benner; and grandchildren, Beau, Brock, Evan, Hailey, and Jenna.
A celebration of Arlene's life will take place Saturday September 15, 2012 from 12 to 2:30 p.m. at the Sunnyside Conservatory, 236 Monterey Boulevard, San Francisco. All who knew her are welcome. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Alzheimer's Association or Kaiser Hayward Hospice.