Evan J. Larson

Evan J. Larson died, rather unexpectedly, from complications of diabetes at the Summit Healthcare Regional Medical Center in Show Low, Arizona. He was 55 years old. Evan was born, the older brother of a set of twins, to the late Ivan Stratton and Erna (Shumway) Larson at the McNary Hospital in McNary, Apache County, Arizona on February 20, 1956. He has lived his entire life in the White Mountain area, most of which was in Snowflake, itself. Evan appreciated the beauty of The White Mountains. As a young boy, he developed a great love for fishing and fished at just about every lake, river and stream in the area. Some of his favorite fishing spots were at the Salt River, the Black River and, of course, Hawley Lake. He was naturally a quiet man and enjoyed the peace he felt as he fished throughout his whole life. Evan graduated from Snowflake High School in 1974 and was well like by all of his classmates. Right after his high school graduation, he began working for A & A Ready Mix where he was known to be a hard and dependable worker for 6 years. He then started working at the old Caldwell Pig Farm outside of Snowflake for nearly 5 years and even worked at the P.F.F.J. Feed Mill. Following his employment at the Caldwell Pig Farm and the feed mill, Evan began a long working relationship with Reidhead Sand and Rock where he worked as a heavy equipment operator for more than 10 years. He thoroughly enjoyed the thrill of operating heavy equipment and then found himself working a short period of time for Voyager Construction in White Mountain Lake. Later he worked for White Mountain Ready Mix and most recently, for the past few years, he worked as a heavy equipment operator for Hatch Construction. He was known for his incredible work ethic and his uncanny ability to fix just about anything. He enjoyed working with his hands and the callouses on them proved that. Many times he would take "things" out of the trash and fix them so they were just as good as new! In his own quiet way, he lead an extremely giving life. Evan was one of those people who would do anything for you, including "giving you the shirt right off of his own back." He was raised by goodly parents who taught him to serve others unconditionally. He truly loved his family and they loved him. There was none, however, who loved Evan as much as his twin brother, Ivan did. They were connected in a way that only a twin could understand and were as close as any brothers could ever be. When his mother died, Evan deeply mourned her death. With her passing he was able to develop a very special bond with his sister, Sandra, whom he asked to be his second mother. Sandy felt so blessed to be asked such a special request that she always considered that to be an honor. Evan had several pets over the years and would refer to them as family too. He had great dogs named: Slim, Sally, Nip, Kid and Katie and his beloved horses, Tully and Chubs. His current dog, Zoe, is missing him now just wondering when he'll be home. Though Evan never had children of his own, he had many nieces and nephews and truly loved them as if they were his own. He was very close to each and every one of them. Many of them would refer to him as "their fun uncle" and each one has their own special "Evan" story to tell. Evan realized he was a Son of God and always looked forward to watching General Conference on TV. He had a spiritual side and during the past several months his family noticed him nurturing it. How grateful they are to know that he is at peace, resting in the arms of his loving Savior. This meek, mild and gentle giant of a man will be greatly missed by everyone, but none will miss him more than his own family. Evan is survived by: his brother, Monte S. (Barbara) Larson of Snowflake, Arizona, twin brother, Ivan G. (Shawna) Larson of Snowflake, Arizona; sister, Sandra (Kayle) Adams of Show Low, Arizona; sister-in-law, Myra Larsen of Arkansas; brother-in-law, Jim Beaman of Vernon; many nieces and nephews, as well as, grandnieces and grandnephews. Along with his parents, Evan was preceded in death by a brother, Wayne J. Larson and by a sister, Elaine Beaman. The visitation for Evan will be from 6:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M., Thursday, March 17, 2011 at Owens Livingston Mortuary - Heritage Chapel, 84 E. 19th South in Snowflake, Arizona. The graveside service and interment will begin 10:00 A.M., Friday, March 18, 2011 at the R.V "Mike" Ramsay Memorial Cemetery.