Carl J Evans

Carl J. Evans, a father, grandfather, friend, lifelong Boston Red Sox fan, staunch Democrat, and 58-year resident of Levittown, died Sunday evening, October 21, 2018, at Attleboro Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Langhorne. He was 86.

Carl was born and raised in Coaldale, PA. He received an early introduction to responsibility when, on Christmas Eve 1944, his father died. At age 13, Carl became the man of the house, making sure his mother and sister were OK. In 1949, he graduated from Coaldale High School.

Although gifted with math and science skills, and an abundance of common sense, college was not an option for Carl; his family simply couldn’t afford it. So, he opted for military service in the Army. From 1953 to 1955, he was stationed in Germany, where he learned how to drive a tank and how to drink beer from a tankard, not necessarily in that order. After being discharged, he did what so many young men from the Pennsylvania coal-mining regions of that era chose to do: move to Lower Bucks County and take a job at the new, thriving Fairless Works steel mill.

While rooming at a house on Hillcrest Avenue in Morrisville, Carl met Patricia Kohl. They married in September 1960 and bought  a home in the Farmbrook section of Levittown. Twin boys followed, and Carl and Pat were devoted to them, ensuring they knew the value of an education and supporting their athletic and academic pursuits.

At the steel mill, Carl worked in the Transportation Department as a train engineer and conductor. He retired in 1987 after 32 years, then spent six years at Dieckhaus Buick in Bristol, working as a parts driver.

In January 1990, Carl lost his voice to laryngeal cancer, but it never slowed him down. On occasion his ENT specialist, Dr. Ben Chack, would ask Carl to visit patients in local hospitals who also had undergone the removal of their larynx; Carl enjoyed those assignments.

Pat died in 2000, but until recently, Carl remained in his Levittown home. He enjoyed chatting with neighbors, taking walks through the neighborhood, and listening to the Philly-area sports teams on the radio. He never watched TV, and was proud of that. He also devoured at least two newspapers a day and tried his best to do the daily crossword puzzles.

Carl viewed people not by their race, religion, or sexuality, but, as Martin Luther King Jr. famously noted, by the content of their character. Even during his final days at Attleboro, he defended a nurse’s aide when a resident spat a racial slur at her. Simply put, that was unacceptable to him. Always had been. Always would be.

Son of the late John and Edith Evans, Carl is survived by his sons, Scott (Lisa) of Langhorne, PA, and Mark (Mary Jo) of Midland Park, NJ; his grandchildren, Daniel, Nicholas, Alexander, and Francesca Evans, Christopher (Brittany), Alyssa, and Erin Kenderdine, and Timothy, Keith (Kim), and Korynn Maduzia; and his special friends, Angela and Steve Reilly of Bristol and their children, Steve, Daniela, and Alicia.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend Carl’s funeral service at 11 AM on Friday, October 26, 2018, at the J. Allen Hooper Funeral Chapel, 41 W. Trenton Ave., Morrisville, PA. The Rev. Ryan Sweet of Addisville Reformed Church in Richboro, PA, will officiate. Interment will follow in Morrisville Cemetery. Afterward, there will be a luncheon at Yardley Country Club.

Friends may call on Thursday evening from 7-9 PM and Friday morning from 10 AM until the time of the service at the funeral chapel.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Carl’s name to the American Cancer Society. You can do so by visiting cancer.org and clicking on the “DONATE” tab in the upper right corner of the home page.