Evan Andrew Berens

1971 - 2023

April 27, 1971 - September 9, 2023 Evan Berens, a lifetime resident of Encino, died during a brief hospitalization. He was 52 years old.

Evan transcended expectations for much of his life. Born with severe disabilities, as an infant doctors did not expect Evan ever to talk or walk, and thought institutionalization was the most likely outcome. Instead, through his own extraordinary efforts and those of his parents, Evan lived independently, walked, talked, drove, worked a variety of jobs, earned a black belt in Karate, traveled the world with his family, stood as best man at his brother's wedding, and doted on his grandparents and extended family.

Charming and outgoing, Evan was a popular figure when he worked his first job at Westward Ho Market in Encino, greeting longtime customers by name in the parking lot. He loved baseball, humor of all kinds, and had a huge poster of The Three Stooges in his living room. He was a passionate fan of professional wrestling, tracking every nuance of the intricate feuds and alliances of the performers as they evolved over the decades. He had a prodigious memory, remembering people's names, their kids' names, and remarkable details about their lives and earlier interactions.

Unable to speak as a child, Evan was a client at the Children's Speech and Hearing Center in Sherman Oaks, CA. Later, he was one of the first students at the New School for Child Development that emerged from the Center. The New School later became The H.E.L.P. Group, which now supports kids with many different sorts of learning disabilities throughout Los Angeles. Evan was very proud in 2019 when his parents endowed a classroom in his honor at the campus where he had been a student.

Evan is survived by his parents, Stephen and Roberta Berens, his brother Brad, sister-in-law Kathi, niece Helena, nephew William, and a large and loving extended family throughout Los Angeles.

There will be a memorial for Evan at 1pm on Saturday, September 16, at the home of Stephen and Roberta Berens. To RSVP or communicate with the family, please email memorial@berens.org.