Dorothy Luke "Dottie" Evans

1930 - 2023

Mount Vernon - Dorothy Luke Evans was born in Memphis, TN, and died after a brief illness at Skagit Valley Hospital, Mount Vernon, WA, under the palliative care team. She also received loving care at Mountain Glen Assisted Living in Mount Vernon for the last two years.

She was born to Mack and Velda Taylor Luke. When she was six, her family moved to Hollywood, CA, during the Great Depression where she, her father, siblings, aunts and uncles worked in the motion picture industry. Her family later moved to Burbank after her father died when she was 15 and she graduated from Burbank High School in 1948. She attended Los Angeles City College and was active in the college department of First Presbyterian Church, Hollywood, where she met her future husband, J. Robert Evans. They were married in the Wylie Chapel of Hollywood Pres by Dr. Richard Halvorson in 1953. As a young couple, Bob and Dottie lived in Mill Valley, CA, while Bob attended San Francisco Theological Seminary. She loved the Bay Area and had many fond memories of their time together there.

In 1956, Bob and Dottie moved to Seattle where he had his first church and they began their family. They also lived in Tacoma and Anacortes for many years followed by 18 years in Colorado before retiring back to the Pacific Northwest in 1996.

She had a fulfilling career as a program director for an adult day care facility in Brush, CO, before retirement. She bonded with the elderly clients, many of whom had Alzheimer's disease.

Her church involvement, which began as a child, was her passion and reason for being. She enjoyed years of service as a minister's wife, entertaining the congregations peaking in her annual Shrove Tuesday pancake feeds from 7 am and 7 pm, welcoming the entire congregation into their home. She also worked as a deacon in the United Presbyterian Church and later as a vestry member and pastoral assistant sharing the Eucharist with shut ins during her time in the Episcopal Church. While living on Camano Island, she and Bob attended Saint Aiden's Episcopal Church where they made additional meaningful friendships. When they moved to Mount Vernon, they attended Saint Paul's Episcopal Church, where they were under the loving care and support of the various pastors and members.

Dottie was vibrant, had high energy, enjoyed entertaining in their lovely homes and travelled across numerous continents with family and their wide network of friends. She was at her core a people person. She remembered people's stories and their names, even people she met only briefly. She also had a habit of collecting new family members. This includes Helen and Ruth Durland, sisters from Bob's first congregation who became surrogate grandparents for the three Evans children. It extended to Australian exchange student daughter, Jenny Dick, to the "fairy goddaughters" Kerry (Marv) Knight of Mount Vernon and Darcie Morris (Ron Wohl) of Anacortes, and lifelong best friend, Mickey Safstrom. Her spirit will not be extinguished and will live on in those she loved.

Dottie was predeceased by her parents, sister Anne Sayre, grandson Jesse Lynn, son-in-law John Lynn, daughter Lorilee Evans-Lynn, husband Bob Evans and brother Jim Luke.

She is survived by her son Jim (Lisa) Evans of Waterville, ME, daughter Beth (Frank) Repplier of Mount Vernon, grandsons Gaeb Lynn and Madison (Kaley) Lynn of Missoula, MT, Evan Repplier of Issaquah, Matthew Repplier of Seattle, John Evans of Burlington, VT, and Owen Evans of Waterville, ME; sister-in-law Joy Luke of Ridgecrest, CA, and nephew Michael (Lizanne) Sayre of Crescent City, CA.

There will be a memorial service on Friday, March 17th at 1pm at Saint Paul's Episcopal Church in Mount Vernon. Memorial gifts may be made to Saint Paul's (415 S 18th St, Mount Vernon, WA 98274) or the Lorilee Evans-Lynn Memorial Scholarship Fund, Missoula Community Foundation (missoulacommunityfoundation.org).