Harold Gordon Evans

“My Word is My Truth”

These are the words left to us by Harold Gordon Evans, 91, who passed away peacefully on April 9, 2025, surrounded by family and friends.

A long-time resident of Asheville, Harold was born to Edward Travis and Elsie Richardson Evans, in Millbrook Township, Raleigh, NC, where he graduated from Millbrook High School.

A lover of words, Harold was well-read in philosophy, religion, classic literature and poetry, and always enjoyed lively and spirited discussions of these and many other topics. He wrote prose and composed poetry about a variety of subjects, and if you were fortunate, one of those compositions was a letter to you.

Always a deep thinker, with a kind, open-minded curiosity about the human condition, Harold kept a daily journal for decades. Harold was deeply spiritual, a life-long seeker of meaning and grace through his relationship with the Divine. In his youth, he attended services at Millbrook Baptist Church, and later, as a resident of Asheville, he became a long-time member of St. Eugene Catholic Church, where he took comfort in the rituals of Mass.

Harold held all the natural world in reverence. He spent much of his youth working on a neighboring farm, where he learned intimately about plants and animals and the cycles of nature. It was during this period in his life that he first fell in love with the North Carolina Mountains, while on a field trip with his Boy Scout troop. After high school, he proudly served his country in the US Army, working as a Cryptographer during the Korean conflict.

He was an inquisitive man, one who enjoyed life and learning in all its forms. After his discharge from the armed services, Harold held a variety of positions, including as a Fire Tower Steward on Mt. Mitchell for the US Forestry Service, and as a Handler-Trainer for a civilian company, supplying specially-trained dogs to the US military, all while earning a B.A. in English from Western Carolina University. He retired from MSD Asheville.

In later years, Harold could often be found in one of several Asheville coffee shops, meeting up with old friends and making new ones. He loved and was beloved by just about anyone he ever met.

As he often said, when pouring just a bit of his favorite bourbon: “It’s five o’clock somewhere…”, so raise your glass with us to toast this remarkable man, and wish him well on his journey.

Harold Gordon Evans is survived by his One True Love, Jenny Sansone Evans; his niece, her husband and daughter, Chen and Keith Whalen and Hannah Weathers; his nephew, Rick Wade, his wife Susan and their son Thomas; his nephew Eddie Evans; and by many more beloved family members and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Edward Travis and Elsie Richardson Evans; his brother, Richard Evans; his sister and her husband, Marsha and Eugene T. “Whitey” Wade, Jr.; and his brother Edward “Ed” Evans.

The family extends special thanks to all those who, in their professional capacities, provided thoughtful, kind, respectful and exemplary care.

The memorial service will be held at Groce Funeral Home on Patton Ave. at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, May 8, 2025. Fr. Pat Cahill, St. Eugene Catholic Church, will officiate. His family will receive friends at the funeral home following the service.

In lieu of flowers, contributions to the Salvation Army, St. Eugene Catholic Church of Asheville, and/or the Manna Food Bank of Asheville are appreciated, and in keeping with Harold’s wishes.