Thomas Joseph Evans, Jr.

Thomas Joseph Evans, Jr. passed away on Sunday afternoon after a brave battle with lung disease. He will be remembered for his big heart, his love for family and friends and his zeal for sports. Tom, with his bigger than life personality, brought joy to all those in his life. He could charm his way out of a speeding ticket and always had the right words for any occasion. Tom was born in Waterbury, CT and graduated from Sacred Heart High School where he excelled at football. The Sacred Heart football team didnt win any games in those days, but Tom treasured his experience and often made headlines in the local paper: "Who knows what the score would have been if Red Evans wasnt on the field." After a year of prep school at Cheshire Academy, he went on to Colby College in Waterville, ME and became the first in his family to attend and graduate from college. It was at Colby, that he met his beloved wife Marilyn. They married in 1963 in a military wedding at Camp Pendleton, San Diego. Tom reached the rank of Captain in the United States Marine Corps, and his military service took him to Japan, Guam and the Philippines. During his 40-year career in sales, Tom went on to found his own company Omni Packaging, a distributor of industrial packaging materials. Together with Marilyn running Omnis finances and operations, they made the venture a success. Tom was a devoted father and always made time to be at his childrens events, whether it be a football game, a track meet or a concert. He loved nature and explored the beauty of California from Death Valley in springtime to Yosemite in any season. He also loved cribbage, the card game he played with family in Waterbury, and he loved teaching the game to people, which he did for many years up at the Berkeley Toulumne Family Camp in the Sierras. Tom loved food and surprised everyone by taking a Chinese cooking class in the 70s. He could make convincing, delicious and expertly chopped dishes from his carefully transcribed recipes much to the delight of friends and family. He loved jazz since college when he heard the Dave Brubeck Quartet for the first time. He and Marilyn loved going to the Monterey Jazz Festival together and attended for 24 consecutive years. Tom is survived by his wife Marilyn, his children Laura, T. J. and Keith and grandchildren, Chlo and Cormac Evans of San Diego and Kai Monno of Fremont. He is also survived by his sisters Maureen McGrath and Karen Ross (Jack) and brother Brian Evans (Mary). Friends and family are invited to a memorial service on Sunday, July 16 at 2:30pm at Oak Park Hills Chapel, 3111 N. Main Street, Walnut Creek. The interment of his ashes will be at Lincoln Cemetery in Lincoln, MA. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Toms name to: his alma mater Colby College, John Muir Foundation to Cardiovascular Services in support of Cardiac Conditioning or the hospice charity, Vitas Community Connection. Memorial Service Sunday, July 16, 2017 02:30 pm OAK PARK HILLS CHAPEL 3111 N. MAIN ST. Walnut Creek CA 94597