December 29, 1929 – January 12, 2023
Reno, NV
Born in the small coal mining camp of Spring Canyon, Utah, on December 29, 1929, Ed (Edward) Evatz passed away peacefully at home on January 12, 2023. Growing up in Spring Canyon, he was the youngest of two boys and had five sisters. Ed graduated from Carbon High School (Price, UT) in 1947.
After high school, he worked in the coal mines of Spring Canyon during the summer months and odd jobs during school to put himself through college. In the spring of 1951, he graduated from Utah State University (Logan, UT) with a degree in Forestry Management. Upon graduation, he worked for the U.S Forest Service and trained as a Smoke Jumper. While stationed in Missoula, Montana, he jumped on numerous forest fires during the summer of 1951 and he and his crew even made it to the silver screen in The Red Skies of Montana released by 20th Century Fox in February of 1952. In October of that year, he was drafted into the Army and proudly served his country during the Korean War. He was stationed in Anchorage, Alaska and was a member of the Army’s Alaskan Command where he graduated from their Arctic Indoctrination School in Big Delta. His training included spending the night in a self-constructed igloo at minus 50 degrees F making him a member of the “50 Below Club.” After two years of service as a 2nd Lieutenant, he returned to work for the Forest Service and was a timber boss based out of Eugene, Oregon and then Craig, Colorado.
Continuing with his government service, in 1955 he began his long-standing and fulfilling career with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). His work for the BLM included the construction and management of the Job Corp Center in Price (UT), many range-management leadership positions at various BLM Offices located in Colorado, Utah, and Idaho, and a four-year stint at the Department of Interior Office in Washington D.C. In 1975, he transferred to Reno (NV) where he started his final chapter with the BLM working as the Deputy State Director, Chief of Resources. Following 34-years of government service, he retired in 1985. After retiring from the BLM, he began his second career as a successful environmental consultant, which included the start-up and ongoing management of JBR Consultants’ Nevada Division, through the mid ‘90s.
Ed truly enjoyed spending time outdoors! He always looked forward to and rarely missed his annual elk hunting trip to Colorado with his close friend George Gurr, and his fly-fishing trip in the high Uinta mountains of Utah with his dear friend Bob Turri. When at home, you could find Ed working in his pristine yard, tending to his beautiful rose bushes, and ensuring a bountiful garden which included a knack for producing great tomatoes. He enjoyed the celebration of family reunions and lamb BBQ festivities, frequent visits to Carbon County (UT) to attend Carbon High reunions, Slovenian and Canyon Days, Elks Club dances, and simply spending time with old friends from days gone by.
On June 21, 1958, at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Helper (UT), he married Elinor Tolich, the love of his life. They both loved to travel, venturing to Europe on multiple occasions and to the warmth of Mexico’s Pacific coast during many winters. When not outdoors or spending time with family and friends, you could find Ed and Elinor at the University of Nevada’s sporting events cheering on the Wolf Pack. In their fifty-seven years of marriage their most precious accomplishment was their three children and two grandchildren.
Ed was preceded in death by his wife Elinor, his parents Antone Evatz and Christina Kramarich Evatz, and his brother and sisters. He is survived by his sons John (Houston, TX) and Mark (Lisa) (Winnemucca, NV), daughter Angela (Dallas, TX), two grandchildren Carli Evatz (Derek Newhof) (Heber, Utah), Nicholas Robison (Natalie) (Salt Lake City, UT), and many nieces and nephews.
As a forty-seven-year parishioner of Our Lady of the Snows Catholic Church (Reno, NV) and devout Catholic, a funeral mass will be held in Ed’s honor on Friday, February 24, 2023, at 11:00am; reception to follow at “The Shoe” (Washoe Golf Course). Ed will be laid to rest at Mountain View Cemetery following a funeral mass at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church (Helper, UT) on Friday, May 19, 2023, at 10:00am. A celebration and toast to his long and blessed life will follow at The Slovenian Home (4323 N 2000 W Helper, UT) – family and friends welcome to both. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that memorial donations in Edward’s name be made to Catholic Charities of N. Nevada (PO Box 5099 / Reno, NV 89513) or Utah State University Eastern Campus, “Edward and Elinor Evatz Memorial Scholarship Fund” (451 East 400 North / Price, UT 84501).