Thomas E. Evans
A Mass of Christian burial for Thomas E. Evans will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, June 19, at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, Ottawa, with military burial in the church cemetery to follow and a lunch reception for family and friends at 12:30 p.m. at the Ottawa Legion.  Visitation will be held at Love Funeral Home in Ottawa from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, June 18, including a 7:30 p.m. memorial service, also one hour prior to Mass on June 19 also at the funeral home.


OTTAWA – Thomas Emil Evans, a man of hard, honest work, few words, and a colorful streak of orneriness, died peacefully at Tall Oaks in Reston, Virginia, on his 83rd birthday Tuesday evening.
Tom was born April 14, 1932, in Akron, Ohio. He was the second of eight children born to Dr. John T. Evans, a family physician and surgeon, and Olive (Krill) Evans, a nurse.
Tom felt great pride in having served four years in the United States Army Air Corps. During the Korean Conflict, he instructed cadet pilots at Laredo Air Force Base, Texas, using synthetic instrument trainers, a predecessor of modern flight simulators. In October 1953, at the age of 21, he received recognition as "Airman of the Month." Base Commander W. M. James praised him in part for his knowledge, capabilities, and exemplary manner.
As an avid fan of Ohio State football, Tom enjoyed listening to the Buckeye marching band. While he couldn't carry a tune, he would proudly bandy his arm up and down to the fight songs like he carried the drum major's baton.
Tom also loved classical melodies, old-time country, and much to the chagrin of his part-Irish wife, belting out the strains of "Danny Boy." It was something akin to the antics of John Wayne in Tom's favorite movie, the "The Quiet Man."
When Tom gathered with family and friends, he enjoyed recounting tales from his childhood in Akron, especially those involving his brothers and their terrier, Terence McPherson III. He also fondly recalled playing football for The Preparatory School of Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, from which he graduated in 1950. His favorite story highlighted a win over "The Golden Arm" of Johnny Unitas and St. Justin High School in Pittsburgh.
With family, Tom made his mark playing cards, especially Hearts, and he relished a competitive bit of ribbing. With a gleeful grin, he ran his "Stressssss Tesssst" to ferret out the Queen.
Outdoors, Tom was known for his love of trees, a neighbor having dubbed him "Tommy Appleseed." He enjoyed planting and tending to trees, yet he might have been overzealous in pruning. A few of them resembled tall topiaries.
As denotes the sign of "a true Evans," Tom savored cheese, any type of cheese, hard or soft, by the hunk or chunk, the slice, the smidgeon, or nibble. Recalling his honeymoon trip, often he talked of a block of Limburger, a surprise gift from his brothers, discovered under the hood of his Buick after flipping on (and quickly off) the heat during the autumn drive to Canada.
On October 5, 1957, at St. Bernard Catholic Church in Akron, Tom married Martha (Veith) Evans, who survives in Reston, Virginia. He also is survived by three daughters: Lisa (Michael) Glenn of Ashburn, Virginia, Linda Evans of La Jolla, California, and Tammy Evans of Ottawa; one grandson: Andrew Glenn of New Berlin, Wisconsin; two brothers: James (LaVerne) Evans of Cookeville, Tennessee, and William (Cathy) Evans of Stow; and three sisters: Mary Evans of Cuyahoga Falls, Margaret (Gerhard) Hopf of Reynoldsburg, and Judy (Thomas) Funk of Jackson Township. Tom is preceded in death by his parents and two siblings: John Evans and Ruth Evans.
Tom lived in Ottawa for 47 years.  Having worked in the engineering department at Philips ECG, formerly GTE Sylvania, he retired after 32 years. Previous employers include RCA Victor in Cambridge and the Diamond Foundry, a former family-owned gray-iron casting company in Akron. He also attended the University of Akron and Kent State University for technical coursework.
Tom was a member of Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, the American Legion Post 63, and the Knights of Columbus Council 1757 in Ottawa. For 20 years, he volunteered as timekeeper at Titan home football games for Ottawa-Glandorf High School.
A Mass of Christian burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, June 19, 2015, at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, Ottawa, burial in the church cemetery with military rites by the Ottawa VFW, American Legion, and Am Vets to follow, along with a reception, details to be determined.. Visitation will be from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, June 18, 2015, and one hour prior to Mass on Friday at Love Funeral Home, Ottawa.
Memorials may be made to Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic School, the Arbor Day Foundation, or a charity of choice.
Condolences may be expressed to lovefuneralhome.com.

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