Christopher Carson Evans, lawyer, investor, devoted brother, uncle, cousin, friend and proud Pacific Northwesterner, passed peacefully February 7, 2022 at his home in Seattle, Washington at the age of 75.
Named for his paternal uncle, Chris was born in Seattle on March 30, 1946 during a smallpox epidemic to Ernest Mervyn Evans MD and Lorna Carson Evans. Chris and his mother were quarantined for two weeks but fortunately found themselves on the daily rounds of his father, who had recently joined Swedish Hospital as an Internal Medicine physician.
Chris grew up in Seattle, attending Laurelhurst Elementary and Nathan Eckstein Junior High school, before graduating from the Lakeside School in 1964. By the age of 10, Chris was joined by four sisters. As an adventurous, older brother, Chris led his sisters on a myriad of activities building forts, racing go-karts, playing Monopoly, Roulette, and Acey Deuce Poker, and bike rides for ice-cream. He and his sisters learned to ski on rope tows at Snoqualmie Pass, waterski on Lake Washington, and swim at the Laurelhurst Beach Club. His active and social nature was harnessed in the Boy Scouts, summers at Henderson’s Camp on Lopez Island, family boating in the San Juan Islands, scuba diving in Puget Sound, swimming and fishing at Crescent Beach in British Columbia, working on the S.S. Catala at Ocean Shores and leading his sisters, Betsy, Jill, Alison and Suzie, into the surf on the Washington Coast.
With his blond hair, blue eyes and constant smile, Chris was chosen to carry King Neptune’s cape in the Seafair events of the early 1960s. An enthusiastic leader of Laurelhurst kids of the 1950s and 1960s, Chris also had a penchant for mischief and money-making schemes that made some neighborhood mothers wary. By the age of nine, he learned to scalp Husky football tickets, which later haunted him when he applied for a top-secret Army clearance and learned that the FBI had been watching him. Fortunately, he received the clearance.
Bright and inquisitive, Chris was sometimes more interested in school activities and friends than academics. Chris played football on the Laurelhurst Pee Wee league (1960) and later with the Lakeside Lions (1962-1964). At Lakeside he helped manage the baseball and basketball teams before attending Whittier College in California. He made many lifelong friends at Lakeside and Whittier who were in touch daily, especially in recent years, a testament to his loving, kind and caring traits and outgoing personality. Chris had a talent for engaging friends and family in long conversations. Most importantly, he wanted to know all about you. Of course, those who knew Chris also know he was ready with many suggestions, some more practical than others!
Chris loved his time at Whittier, graduating in 1968. Throughout his life, Chris was a dedicated alumnus, particularly supporting the Pacific Northwest alumni club, for which he was honored with the Service to the College award in 2017 at a gala celebration attended by many family and friends. After Whittier, Chris enrolled at the Willamette University College of Law; but his studies were temporarily interrupted when he was drafted into the United States Army during the Vietnam War. Chris proudly served three years from 1969-72 at Fort Ord, California in an administrative position and made many recognized and unrecognized contributions to the lives of family, friends and future generations while serving in the Army.
Chris was passionate personally and professionally about Northwest fisheries and sea life and was involved with the fishing industry throughout his career. After receiving his juris doctor from Willamette in 1974 and passing the Bar, he pursued a career serving as general counsel, vice president, and acting president of several companies in the seafood industry. Chris spent time in Kodiak and Dutch Harbor, Alaska, invested in Alaska fishing boats, and served as president of Kodiak Reduc Inc., a fish meal company where he oversaw the construction of a new plant. Of course, Chris was proud to be an avid Dungeness crabber and salmon fisherman and caught multiple Tyees in the Queen Charlotte Islands. Chris’ seafood industry connections meant that he always brought delicious Dungeness crab legs or salmon to the party.
From an early age Chris was an enthusiastic investor, buying stocks before he was ten and closely following the market. In later life, Chris woke up with the market as well as the birds and would be content with a television that showed only CNBC. Fortunately, his life and the market were frequently on the same trajectory. One share of Boeing was his first stock and buying Microsoft on the dip his last.
Chris left the seafood industry in the early 1990s. While he continued his personal law practice, providing valuable counsel to family and friends, he turned his attention to investing, especially in the development of community banks in the Pacific Northwest. Chris worked enthusiastically supporting the growth of banks such as AEA, Northwest Business Financial (Pacific Continental), Charter (Boston Private), Commencement and Plaza, where he supported them serving on the board of directors and loan committees, raising capital, and orchestrating mergers and acquisitions. Many personal and business relationships were fostered along the way.
Recognition of the life of Chris would not be complete without mentioning his many passions, from cooking to collecting, as well as Husky and Seahawk football. He enjoyed cuisines around the world on his many travels for work and pleasure, which took him throughout the United States and Canada, Mexico, Asia, Europe and in the last few years to Australia and Iceland. He was a frequent flyer to Hawaii and Alaska. Art collecting, especially from Northwest artists, and antiquing were also among Chris’ many hobbies.
Chris and his parents enjoyed especially meaningful travels to Canada, Philadelphia and Maine to celebrate family heritage and visit relatives. Love of Husky and Seahawk football took Chris to many games as well as the Superbowl in Detroit and several Rose Bowl games. Chris was a born naturalist, and he loved the family home on Whidbey Island where he could watch eagles, blue heron, whales, salmon and seals, along with a constant parade of ships, while entertaining family and friends with his decadent meals. “Chef” Uncle Chris was always ready to pick fresh raspberries from his garden, whip up some bacon & blueberry pancakes or pull out some Frederick & Nelson cinnamon pop-ups for his growing nieces and nephews. Of course, Chris never failed to produce a trunkful of fireworks for a memorable Fourth of July.
Family was very important to Chris and he loved his parents, sisters, nieces and nephews and grand-nephews dearly. In addition, Chris built and maintained strong relationships with his American and Canadian cousins near and far and made special efforts to visit them over the years.
Chris certainly won the lottery of life with wonderful parents, loving family, many lifelong friends, many interests and adventures. He was incredibly generous, friendly and kindhearted and leaves a legacy of love in our hearts.
Chris is predeceased by his mother, Lorna Carson Evans, and his father, Ernest Mervyn Evans MD, as well as his brother-in-law Thom Swink. He is survived by his four sisters: Betsy Evans (Marlene Brouwer), Jill Evans (Steve Brocco), Alison Kinder and Suzie Swink as well as seven nieces and nephews: Michael Foss (Peter Kuhn), Kristin, Evan, Megan, Lindsay, Carson and Betsy, and two great nephews: Finnian and Lucas Kuhn Foss. He also enjoyed great relationships with former brothers-in-law Fred Foss MD and Gary Kinder.
In addition, Chris leaves behind many beloved friends. The Evans Family gratefully thanks his friends for their support in keeping his life full of light and love especially during the past few months. Special thanks are given to Dr. Adam Jayne-Jensen, Dr. Alan Failor, Dr. Sara Mahmoud and all of his wonderful caregivers.
Chris would be honored by remembrances in his name to the Lakeside School, Whittier College (The Christopher C Evans Scholarship Fund), Willamette University College of Law, the Awbury Arboretum in Philadelphia, Washington Park Arboretum, and Northwest Harvest.
A celebration of the life of Chris Evans will be held in April. Please contact the family for details.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared below for the Evans family.
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