Our very dear friend to many in our Rotary District 5040, Past District Governor Don Evans, has suddenly passed away. While travelling in South America, with Deb and Deb's brother Mike, Don suffered a massive coronary yesterday. I know that I can speak for all of us, that we, our District and the Rotary World have lost a monumental force.
Don's passion for not just Rotary but our Foundation, our clubs, and us as individuals was immense. He will be dearly missed. Please see a brief bio below.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Deb and Don's children and families. We will hold them in our hearts and surround them in love.
Please refrain from reaching out directly to Deb at this time. The logistics of bringing Don home are huge and I ask that you allow Deb this time to deal with that.
There is a posting going out on Facebook where you can express your condolences. We will pass on more information as it is provided to us by the family.
With much sadness,
District Governor Darcy and Doug Long
Rotary District 5040
There is a posting going out on Facebook where you can express your condolences. We will pass on more information as it is provided to us by the family.
With much sadness,
District Governor Darcy and Doug Long
Rotary District 5040
Don Evans brief bio
Don was active in Rotary for more than 33 years. He was a Past President of the Rotary Club of Vancouver (2002-2003) and has held many different positions with his club. He had been active with District 5040 in Strategic Planning, as a member of the District Foundation Committee and as a PETS Trainer.
He was named Rotarian of the Year for District 5040 in 2014 and served as District Governor for 2017-18.
Don was a graduate of Harvard Business School. He established DJE Holdings Ltd. in 1998 following his retirement after 31 corporate years in the telecommunications industry.
Active in the community, Don was a Past Chair of the Board of E-Comm 911 (Emergency Communications for Southwest B.C.), and a long-time member of the Vancouver Board of Trade.
He had a major passion for railways and railway preservation and was President Emeritus of the West Coast Railway Association and a Director of the Association of Tourist Railways and Railway Museums.
He was awarded a Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002 for his community service and the Caring Canadian Award which was presented in 2016 by the Governor General of Canada.
Celebration of Life
A Celebration of Life will be held at 2:00pm on Sunday, July 7, 2019 at the West Coast Railway Heritage Park in the CN Roundhouse, located in Squamish, BC. Additional Info with map.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to either the West Coast Railway Association or the Rotary Foundation (Canada).