Shepley Wilson Evans, 84, of Great Barrington, passed away on July 18, 2025 at Baystate Medical Center. Born February 9, 1941 in Bryn Mawr, PA to Shepley Edward Evans and Mary Law Starr Evans. Shep graduated from The Haverford School in 1959, and Hamilton College in 1963 with a BA in Psychology. He then served in the US Army, AIS Division, in Korea in Morse Intel. He received his MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Shep came from a long line of outdoorsmen, and developed an early love of hiking and fishing with his family in the Pocono mountains and Maine. Shep's summers as a young man were a big family affair: grandparents to cousins descended on Jamestown, Rhode Island for an idyllic childhood of fishing and ocean play. In his teens, Canadian canoe camp and a cross country bird watching trip heightened Shep's love of the outdoors.

During Shep's early 1970s career, he lived in London and travelled extensively while working in International Marketing. By the '80s Shep settled back in the US, having fallen in love with the Berkshires, where his sister, Govane, lived. From those days on, the Berkshire hills were Shep's true home, and he often remarked that they were as beautiful as any place he had fished or hiked in England or Scotland. He built a house on the Housatonic River in Lenox, and worked as a real estate broker and partner at Friday & Company. Shep eventually moved to Stockbridge and, in 1980, helped his parents move from Pennsylvania to Stockbridge, as well.

In the Berkshires, Shep's life centered around public service, the environment, and conservation. His conservation work included involvement with the Stockbridge Conservation Commission, Stockbridge Land Trust (SLT), Laurel Hill Association (LHA), and the Housatonic Valley Association (HVA). He served as LHA President from 2003-2005 during the creation of the chestnut breeding program at the Chestnut Preserve. This property was a joint SLT/LHA purchase in 2002 to protect the southern entrance to Stockbridge. He was also instrumental in the 2012 SLT/LHA joint purchase of property at the four corners (intersection of Routes 102 and 183) to protect the western entrance to town. The southeast corner was subsequently sold to Berkshire Botanical Gardens with a permanent no building restriction.

Every spring, Shep would issue his popular challenge to the greater Berkshire community: whoever reports the first sounds of spring peepers would win the Spring Peeper Award! He also loved introducing the Berkshire Natural Resources Council trails to friends and family on any hike.

Shep served as Conservation Agent (nicknamed "Agent Evans") for the town of Great Barrington for the last 12 years, from 2013 until his death. His colleagues recalled he would read to them in Morse Code, reliving his Army days.

Shep was a member of the Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT) an organization founded in 2002 with a mission of protecting the environment for wildlife in order to support the natural systems that sustain us all.

Shep is also credited for writing much of the Berkshire Scenic Mountain Act which became Mass. General Law, Chapter 131, Section 39A, in 2006. This act allows individual cities and towns of Berkshire County to adopt additional local regulations to protect their mountain regions, to preserve the natural scenic qualities of the environment and protect critical watershed resources from activities that could cause erosion, flooding, and water pollution.

Shep married Teresa Mango on February 21, 1998 and they enjoyed active lives, hiking, gathering with friends, attending cultural events, and doting on their many pets. They shared a February 9th birthday. Shep adored Teresa and enjoyed being her "roadie," schlepping her harp and setting up for her at gigs.

Shep was briefly survived by his beloved wife Teresa, who sadly passed away on August 21st of this year. He was predeceased by his parents and brother in law, Robert Lohbauer.

He is survived by his children: S. Edward Evans (Yohko) of Jackson, WY, and Heidi Girardoni (Johannes) of Venice, CA and their families. He is also survived by his Berkshire family: his sister, Govane Lohbauer of Lee, his niece Sandy Cleary of Great Barrington, her daughters Olivia and Charlotte Wade, his nephew David Nadig (Lori) of Lenox and their children Tyler and Zoe (Mattie) Nadig; and his Mango family.

Donations in Shep's memory can be sent to The Great Barrington Land Conservancy, P.O. Box 987, Great Barrington, MA 01230 or Berkshire Natural Resources Council via their website: www.bnrc.org and indicate the gift in Shep's name. Condolences can be shared with the family on www.legacy.com.

Please join us in a celebration of the lives of both Teresa and Shep, who left us only a month apart. A service of celebration will be held at 1:00 pm on Sunday, September 28 at The First Congregational Church of Stockbridge, 4 Main Street, Stockbridge, MA 01262. A reception will follow from 2:30 to 5:30 pm at the Berkshire Botanical Gardens in Stockbridge to honor their passion for the Berkshires with music, wine, food, and nature. Please wear comfortable shoes to stroll the gardens during the reception. All are welcome.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by The Berkshire Eagle on Sep. 20, 2025.