Eugene Julius Evancoe

Eugene Julius Evancoe was born in Renovo, Pennsylvania, the youngest of 10 children of Paul and Mary (Gasko) Evanco, who were immigrants from Hungary. He is survived by one sister, Ethel Gehron of Tarpon Springs, Florida, sons Eugene of Irvine, California and David of South Lyon, Michigan, and six grandchildren, John and Elizabeth of Irvine and Michael, Stephen, Natalie, and Christine of South Lyon. He passed on peacefully in Irvine, California.

Gene worked most of his career for Caterpillar Tractor Company, most of it in Peoria IL, but also in Rapid City SD, Billings MT, and Calgary, Alberta until he retired in June 1982 after 30 years. His main jobs were as a marketing representative and forest products engineer, and he travelled about much of the United States and 30 countries for the company.

In 1939 he went to Alaska to study pre-forestry at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. From 1942 to 1944 Gene studied forestry at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where he received his B.S. in Forestry and started graduate work.

In 1944 he entered the United States Army Air Corps (which became the Air Force) as a photographer, achieved the rank of Corporal, and served through May, 1946 when he was honorably discharged.

He also had numerous other interesting endeavors and jobs, including homesteading in Kenai, Alaska, working on the Alaska Road Commission as a surveyor, being a small plane pilot who landed on water, snow, or dry land, and surveying for oil exploration in the jungles of Venezuela for a subsidiary of Mobil Oil Corporation. There, Gene became fluent in Spanish, a skill he also used with Caterpillar.

Gene and his wife Olive (who passed on in 2005) were married for 50 years, and they resided and raised their family in Washington, Illinois from 1963 to 2000 on two acres of land that Gene cleared. They spent their remaining years in Irvine, California, and Gene was in the excellent care of Regent’s Point Retirement Home since fall 2008.

He will be remembered for his love of family, kindness and friendliness to all, adventuresome spirit, and love of trees and the great outdoors. Gene was a very optimistic person whose positive outlook was a blessing to everyone who knew him.

Gene had a solid faith in Jesus Christ as his Savior and Lord and is presently in heaven for eternity. We look forward to seeing him there again in the future.

In lieu of flowers, those who wish to make a donation in Eugene’s name may do so to the:

Eugene Evancoe Memorial Fund

St. Mark’s Lutheran Church

200 South Main Street

Washington, Illinois 61571

(Please make checks payable to St. Mark’s Lutheran Church.)

Arrangements under the direction of Pacific View Memorial Park and Mortuary FD1176, Corona Del Mar, CA.