Susan "Su" Helen Evans

Susan Helen Evans passed peacefully into the arms of our Lord on Wednesday, February 12, 2025 in Port Orchard, surrounded by members of her family. A Celebration of Life will be held March 1 at First Christian Church in Bremerton.

Susan is survived by her husband, Edward A. Evans of Port Orchard, sons Owen L. (Vickie) O'Neal and Austin T. (Esther) O'Neal, and daughter Vonnie Evans (partner Leo Gant), all of Tacoma, seven grand and twelve great grandchildren. She is also survived by her only sibling, Patricia S. Zehnder of Colorado Springs, CO. and was preceded in death by a son, Loren F. O'Neal.

Su, as she was known, was the eldest daughter of Ross T. and Helen L. (Broughton) Selders, both deceased.

Su was born April 24,1938 in Normal, Illinois and raised in the farm country on the outskirts of Bloomington, Illinois. Her first 5 years of education were in a one-room country schoolhouse (a mile walk each way including crossing US 66) where she skipped second grade and was usually one of only three in her class, the others being male cousins a year older than herself. She went on to complete her schooling in the Bloomington Public Schools where as a senior she was editor of the school newspaper and a member of the National Honor Society. She attended Illinois State University in Normal, Il. and Eureka College in Eureka, Il., each for a year, and often shared (joked?) that she then traded "her BA for a MRS." She married Leslie F. O'Neal in 1957 and they began raising their sons in central Illinois before becoming an Air Force family and living in Texas and England. As the boys grew, Su began her thirty-one-year career in Federal Civil Service.

After marrying Ed in 1968, the family was joined by his daughter Vonnie and went on to experience Air Force life in Texas, Germany, and finally Washington state, where in 1977 they settled first in Tacoma, later moving to Port Orchard. Su was an active member of Toast Mistress and International Training in Communication. Su and Ed attended First Christian Church of Bremerton. Su was an avid reader and was seldom seen without knitting needles and yarn. Other hobbies included genealogy research, square dancing, world travel and being a mean card player who did not like to lose.