By Brian Anderson
San Ramon Valley Times

Nov. 9, 1999

SAN RAMON — JoAnn "Big Red" Evans, who charmed parents, comforted students and kept things straight for three principals at San Ramon Valley High School, died of cancer Sunday in Walnut Creek. She was 57.

Through 22 years of working in the public school system, Evans helped administrators and students alike sort through the sometimes confusing world of high school, family members, friends and school officials said Monday.

But it was her glowing spirit combined with a quick-draw smile that roped even strangers into her web of friendship.

"She never met anybody that wasn't a friend," said Doug Evans, her husband of 371/2 years. "She just really charmed everybody."

Born JoAnn Angle on July 26, 1942, in Albany, Evans and her family moved to San Leandro, where she graduated from San Leandro High School.

She ended up in San Jose, where she married Evans and kicked off her life in education as the career center coordinator of an award-winning program at Gunderson High School.

In 1978, the Evanses packed up and headed to Danville, where Evans began her tenure in the San Ramon Valley Unified School District as a secretary at Twin Creeks Elementary School in San Ramon.

It was not long before she was off to San Ramon Valley High, where she would remain in the principal's office for 17 years. There she worked for principals Jim Henderson, Pat Wheeler and, most recently, David Lorden.

"She cared deeply about everyone at the school," said Rob Stockberger, who as assistant principal worked with Evans from 1990 to 1995. "She was a wonderful listener. She would be there for the kids."

She was such a hit with the kids that Eric Evans, the younger of her two sons, joked that his friends seemed to garner more attention from her than he did at times.

"A lot of our friends ... adopted her as their mom," said Eric Evans, 28. "I think she might have had more friends than I did."

Petite in stature, Evans was anything but small in how she lived her life.

She earned a bachelor's degree from Cal State Hayward in 1991, was elected Classified Employee of the Year and was president of her sorority, Beta Sigma Phi.

Then there were her hobbies.

She loved to travel and proved it by taking trips to London, France, Italy, Alaska, Las Vegas and seemingly every place in between.

She revved up her engine admiring street rods and other fast cars in clubs such as the Danville Dukes and the Northern California Corvette Association. "Big Red" Evans -- who got her nickname because of her fire-red hair and slight frame -- was also the proud owner of two Corvettes.

"A lot of people looked at her and said 'Holy mackerel. How did that little gal do that?'" said Doug Evans, 60, referring to all of his wife's interests.

Even now, she's probably still stirring things up, said her elder son, Scott Evans.

"She's in the big party in heaven," said Scott Evans, 33. "She's probably still working on arranging the parties up there."

Memorial services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Community Presbyterian Church, 220 West El Pintado Road in Danville.