George A. Evans Jr.

George A. Evans, Jr.

Milwaukee - A lifelong resident of Milwaukee and its North Shore suburbs, George passed away at the age of 80. In his early years, he was an all-around athlete and avid golfer (and Ozaukee Junior Golf Club Champion). After graduating from Whitefish Bay High School, he attended Berkeley College at Yale University, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree (magna cum laude) and was selected to the Manuscript Society in 1962. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from the Yale Law School in 1965.

George's 55-year legal career, the last 25 of which were with the Milwaukee firm Von Briesen & Roper, encompassed general corporate practice, including service on a number of companies' boards, as well as estate planning for individual clients and families. George was a founding member and director of Wisconsin Retirement Plan Professionals, Ltd., and was an active participant in the State Bar of Wisconsin and the Milwaukee Bar Association.

With a long-standing interest in Milwaukee-area charitable organizations, George served as chair of a United Way allocations committee; and throughout the last four decades, he was involved with the Milwaukee Art Museum in the roles of treasurer, trustee, first-ever male docent, officer of Friends of Art, founder and first president of Print Forum, and trustee of the Layton Art Collection. He was honored by the Museum with its Friend of Art of the Year Award in 1988. He was president of the Friends of Old World Wisconsin and an officer of Friends of Villa Terrace. Paying respect to his alma mater, he was president of the Yale Association of Wisconsin, served as the state's delegate to National Association of Yale Alumni conferences, and was a donor of Old Master prints to the Yale University Art Gallery.

George and his high-school and college sweetheart, Julia Whitcomb (Smith College '62), married within one whirlwind week of their college graduations, later moving back to Milwaukee to raise two children, Victoria and David - both of whom would eventually graduate from Yale. George's and Julia's passions for art and travel left a strong legacy in their descendants.

In addition to his beloved wife of 59 years, George is dearly missed by his son David Evans, his daughter-in-law Lely Evans and their children Corinne and James. George's daughter Victoria Evans Bloodworth pre-deceased him; her husband Jon and their sons Evan and William ("Hardie") Bloodworth survive. George is also survived by his brother John (Mary) Evans, sister Katherine Blumenthal, and brother James (Joy) Evans. He will be fondly remembered by many other friends, near and far.

It was George's wish that there be no memorial services. In lieu of flowers, donations in his name may be made to the George A. Evans Jr. Memorial Fund for Prints and Drawings, Milwaukee Art Museum, 700 North Art Museum Drive, Milwaukee WI 53202; or to Berkeley Head of College Fund #04027, Yale University Office of Development, P.O. Box 2038, New Haven CT 06521.