Gary Evans

EVANS, Gary Jay

Gary Jay Evans, 80, of Canton, Georgia, passed into the presence of Jesus on December 11, 2023. Gary was born in Washington D.C. He joined IBM after high school, and also served in the Air National Guard. After his military service, he moved to Arizona, where he met and married Rae Angela Callanan and soon became father to Paul and Nicole. Gary and Rae came to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ while living in Arizona, and that decision shaped the trajectory of their family life. Gary often shared the testimony that an IBM manager instructed him to read and consider the Ten Commandments. That exercise helped him realize his priorities needed to change, putting the Savior and his family first.

Gary retired from IBM in 1992 when Rae was diagnosed with cancer, and after a six-year battle, she died in 1997. In November, 1998, Gary married Jenny, and in 2003, the couple moved from Marietta to Canton. Gary often bragged that he had been married to two angels.

He was a kind, faithful, loving husband. He also took an active role in homeschooling his children, and was always involved and supportive with them. He and Rae also fostered eighteen other children over the years. His siblings remember a fun-loving, protective, caring brother with a great sense of humor and a taste for mischief. Gary cultivated rich friendships. He and various buddies often took "cheap dates," going for dinner and a movie – just the guys. He also enjoyed tennis, travel, science, history, cats, and participating in veterans' organizations.

Gary is survived by his wife, Jennifer Brown Evans; his daughter, Nicole Evans Voltolina; his sister, Eugenia Evans Dutton; and brothers, Brian Evans and Keith Evans. He was preceded in death by his mother, Hope Evans; his wife, Rae Callanan Evans; and his son, Paul Christopher Evans. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial donations be made to the Wounded Warrior Project (woundedwarriorproject.org) or to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (stjude.org).