Patricia L. Evans

Patricia “Patti” Leona (Parent) Evans, a longtime resident of Norwalk, Ohio, and, later, Columbus, Ohio, was called to be with her Lord and His Son Saturday, October 21, 2017, following a brief stay at OhioHealth Doctors Hospital, Columbus, Ohio. Born in Sparks, Nevada, on September 26, 1937, Patty was the fourth child (and second daughter) of Ray and Thelma (Hagan) Parent. She graduated Sparks High School in 1955 where she discovered her life-long love of photography. Not long after, she met (at the Branding Iron, Reno, NV) and married (March 23, 1957) Jerauld Arthur Evans, a union which produced four sons; Richard Dale, Robert Allen, Michael Arthur and Bradly Dean Evans. The young family traveled a circuitous route from Sparks, NV, to Sioux City, IA, to Pressman’s Home, TN, to Knoxville, TN, to Winston Salem, NC, to Bellingham, MA, and then Hamilton, OH, before finally settling in Norwalk, OH, in June, 1971 (aka ‘our hometown’). Here, they resided for twenty-five of the happiest years of her life. In the beginning of her residence, Patti was a homemaker and a friend. She spent time at the usual PTA meetings and so forth, but her focus was family and friends, old and new. Always, she had her camera ready and she never turned away from a good composition. Later, she took a position at Wickes Lumber. But her professional career truly began in 1982 when she and Jerry began a fruitful partnership in Loadpower, a freight brokerage firm. For the next fifteen years, she would complement Jerry’s salesmanship with her fine insight into office operations. Eventually, all four of their sons would join them. Retirement happens. For Patti, retirement was merely a hiatus. In truth, she wanted some new challenge and, camera in hand, she found herself called on by the Lord as she traveled out west. She was always reticent about her devotion, but fervent in its pursuit. Her mission, as she knew it, was to capture what her Lord wanted recorded by means of photography. Her themes, as they worked themselves out in practice, were first the beauty of her neighbor and, second, the manifest Glory in Creation. She found employment as the resident manager at the Scioto Fairway Woods Apartments, at which she excelled. For the last seventeen years of her life, Patti would manage apartments ‘by day’ and praise God by means of photography in her off hours. And, as always, she traveled devotionally, stopping when she heard the word, and photographing what she found when she stopped (Ex. 24:3). As a result of this highly productive phase of her life, her portfolio grew to such a great extent that her family has only now begun to observe its scope, diversity and depth. And that’s how we remember our Mother. Patti was preceded in death by her parents and her three siblings, Donald (Rodka) Parent, Lawrence Parent and Jaqueline (Parent) Barker. She is survived by her former husband, Jerry, her four sons and daughters-in-law, Rick (Patricia), Michael (Cindy) Brad (Karen Poling), Robert, nine grandchildren, 4 great grandchildren and in-numerable friends. The family will receive friends on Sunday, October 29, 2017, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. at Tidd Funeral Home, 5265 Norwich Street, Hilliard, OH, 43026, with a funeral service celebrating her life starting at 3:00p.m. The Evans family is grateful to Tidd Funeral Home. We are grateful, as well, to Stacy, Ray and Greg (you know you and so do we). In lieu of flowers, we recommend a memorial donation to the Wounded Warrior Project.
As ever, with God always.