Marvin L. Evans

1931 - 2020

Marvin L. Evans

March 16, 1931 - November 1, 2020

Marvin L. Evans of Vancouver, Washington passed away peacefully Sunday, November 1 at the age of 89.

Marv was born March 16, 1931 in Hubbard, Oregon to Melvin and Bertha Evans. The family later moved to Portland, where he graduated from Franklin High School in 1949 He served in the Air Force as an M.P. before enrolling at Lewis and Clark College, from which he earned a B.S. in English and journalism in 1954 While there, he met Rojean Stivers and they married upon his graduation. They had two children, Matt and Meg.

Marv began his career in public education as a teacher in the David Douglas School District and held positions there as counselor, vice principal, and Director of Curriculum In 1961, he earned a M.Ed. from the University of Oregon followed by a D. Ed. from U.O. in school administration and secondary education in 1968. He was promoted to Assistant Superintendent at David Douglas that same year.

In 1965, Marv and Rojean bought a vacation home in Neskowin, Oregon with three other couples. This second family, the Beach Bunch, enjoyed many weekends and vacations together at the coast.

In 1971, Marv began a string of Superintendencies at school districts in Albany (1971-77), Lake Oswego, (1977-80), McMinnville (1981-82), Richland, WA (1982-86), and Klamath County (1986-91). He was a staunch advocate for prioritizing the needs of children and developed a reputation for sound fiscal management and collaborative problem-solving. After retiring from Klamath County he served as an interim superintendent in many school districts across the Northwest.

It was while he was at Richland that he met and married Patricia Gardiner. Pat introduced him to fishing, which became his passion in retirement. They spent many happy years at the coast living in Garibaldi.

Marv is survived by his wife Pat (Gardiner) Evans, children Matt (Sharon) Evans, Meg (Jeff) Johnson, Jeff (Kathryn) Gardiner, Katie (Greg) Gardiner, Rob (Traci) Gardiner, 12 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

In light of the current pandemic no services are scheduled. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations to the Alzheimer's Association (act.alz.org) or Community Home Health and Hospice, 3102 NE 134th St., Vancouver, WA 98686.