Justin David Evans

Justin David Evans (Goulet) died in a tragic car accident near Quincy on November 9th, 2022, leaving behind his precious three-year-old son along with grieving family and friends. His tender, truth-seeking soul has left us too soon and without the resolution we all desperately hoped for. Justin was born October 21st, 1989 near Minneapolis, MN. His brothers Jeff and Joey, ages 10 and 12 at the time, helped raise him for the first few years of his life. They cared for this colicky baby who grew into a smart and engaging toddler who loved Batman, reading books and being outside. Sadly, these brothers were pushed out of Justin’s life by the time he was five. Justin had a painful and traumatic childhood. He did have rays of light including his grandparents, a “big brother”, and close friends who kept him safe and fed when he was kicked out of his home. Jeff and Joey continued to watch out for him. Justin excelled at basketball, loved his kitties, and enjoyed video games, film, and poetry. In 2009 at age 19 Justin was accepted into the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps in Mississippi and spent 10 months serving communities throughout the Southeast US. He constructed ramps for people with disabilities, interviewed Hurricane Katrina victims to aid in disaster recovery, built homes with Habitat for Humanity, worked at a Boys and Girls club, and responded to a tornado disaster. He spent every moment with a team of ten incredible young people who were also motivated to leave the world better than they found it. They laughed, served, cried, fought, forgave, and supported each other through each success and challenge. Justin met his future wife, Chelsea Evans, while in AmeriCorps. They both felt an undeniable connection and tug of the soul during their first conversation but thought it would remain a friendship. They moved to Chelsea’s hometown of Cashmere as friends in 2011 but soon realized they were falling in love. Justin was loved and adored by Chelsea’s parents Jan and Ric and quickly became like a son to them. Justin and Chelsea were married August 3rd 2013 in a most joyous and love-filled ceremony. Justin asked to change his name from Goulet to Evans. They left shortly after the wedding to serve one last term with AmeriCorps- this time with AmeriCorps St. Louis. Justin performed conservation work in Illinois, Missouri, and Montana and enjoyed running a chainsaw. He also poured his heart into operating the Emergency Warming Shelter in St. Louis during the winter. Justin continued to have great compassion for people experiencing homelessness, even when he himself was without shelter. Justin and Chelsea moved to Seattle for a few years and then back to Cashmere in 2017. They enjoyed sharing fabulous food, experiences in nature, good films, and their two cats Clarence and Elle. Justin worked as a line cook in several restaurants and was admired wherever he went for his incredible work ethic. He struggled with severe depression and anxiety and the reverberations of his childhood throughout this time. Then in 2019 they had a son, Elio. Justin loved Elio with parts of his heart he didn’t know existed. Chelsea and Justin painfully separated when Elio was a baby, but Justin remained a devoted Dad, or “Deedu” as Elio calls him. Justin and Elio played fantastically imaginative games and enjoyed nature, cuddling, and being silly. Justin loved Elio more than the whole-wide-world, and Elio misses him more than the whole-wide-world and is searching for someone with life-power to bring his Deedu back. Justin was a sweet, gentle, tender, and loving soul who suffered more than anyone should be allowed to suffer. He had great humor and wit, and a depth of understanding that would cut deep into your heart as soon as you met him. Justin had a deep belief in the connectivity of all living things, and we pray that, now loosed from these earthly bonds, his soul is free to travel on. Justin is survived by his son Elio Evans and wife Chelsea Evans; brothers Jeff Mitchell, Joey Mitchell, and Billy McPherson; parents-in-law Jan and Ric Evans; brother-in-law Chase Evans; aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews on the McPherson side and Mitchell side; his Minnesota friends Aaron and Mike and many more; special friends in the Wenatchee Valley; and an extended AmeriCorps family. He was preceded in death by his father Mike McPherson and grandparents Bill and Irene McPherson. Justin’s memorial service will be held Saturday, December 3rd at 10am at the Cashmere United Methodist Church with a lunch reception to follow. Nursery care provided. Arrangements in the care of Jones & Jones-Betts. To honor Justin’s memory please consider a donation to the AmeriCorps St. Louis Winter Warming Shelter. Donate online at www.americorps-stl.org/donate and click “Justin Evans Memorial Fund”, or send a check to AmeriCorps St. Louis, 1315 Ann Ave, St. Louis MO 63104. You may also contribute to the Elio Evans Benefit Fund account by contacting Cashmere Valley Bank.

Tributes

Justin David Evans

October 21, 1989 - November 9, 2022