Roger Reed Evans

Roger Reed Evans, age 79, of The Woodlands, Texas, passed away August 1, 2024. He was born to Walter Reed Evans and Frances Lounsbury Evans in Austin, Texas on April 22, 1945. He graduated from Seroe Colorado High School in Aruba. He received his Bachelor of Arts, Doctor of Jurisprudence, and Master of Laws degrees from The University of Texas at Austin. Roger and his wife, Gail Melady, met as students in law school and married on the first available date following their completion of the Texas Bar Exam. They enjoyed 52 years of married life that was enriched beyond measure by the arrival first of their daughter, Kate, and then their son, Reed. Roger was happiest when surrounded by his family.

Roger’s passion in law was centered on business law, both domestic and international. After several years working as in-house counsel, including Vice-President General Counsel for an international shipping and freight forwarding firm, Roger formed a law firm with former colleagues, focusing his practice on the transactional and litigation needs of businesses, both international and domestic. He also served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Houston – Downtown, teaching International Business Law in the Marilyn Davies College of Business.

Roger loved to travel. This passion was instilled in him by his father, who through his work at Standard of New Jersey (now Exxon) moved Roger, his mom and siblings around the world, first to Venezuela, then Aruba, Spain, Pakistan and Thailand. Over the course of his life, Roger traveled for both work and pleasure to more than 100 countries spanning all seven continents and made wonderful friends along the way. He discovered a love for traveling by ship as a child on a voyage, via freighter, to his new home in Venezuela. He introduced Gail to cruising and as a couple they shared more than 60 cruises to all parts of the world.

Roger was a quiet adventurer who never said much about his adventures until they were completed. He climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, reaching the summit on July 14, 2001. His scuba diving adventures led him to diving World War II wrecks in Chuuk (Truk) Lagoon in Micronesia as well as multiple dives in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea. Roger also loved his annual ski trips with his family.

In addition to his wife, Gail, Roger is survived by his children, Katherine Evans and her husband Corey Young, and Reed Evans; granddaughters, Eleanor Young and Evelyn Young; sisters, Sandra Dunlap (Tres), and Sharon Jensen, brother-in-law Ted Melady (Kathryn), sister-in-law Jennifer Melady-Franz, and numerous nieces and nephews.

The funeral service and burial will be held beginning at 10:00 a.m. Friday, August 9, 2024 in the chapel at Forest Park The Woodlands, 18000 I-45 South The Woodlands, TX. Family and friends are invited to a Celebration of Life honoring Roger at The Woodlands Country Club following the service.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in Roger’s honor to the Roger Reed Evans Endowed Scholarship in Law (University of Texas Law School) https://utlsf.org/give/evans or to the charity of your choice.