Johnnie Evans wasn’t much for letting you know he once was a Cumberland County commissioner.
He liked keeping life simple and living by the Golden Rule.
“He cared about people,” Rev. J. Evan Harrison said Sunday on a day of celebration, remembrance and farewell at Sunnyside Presbyterian Church for the seventh-generation farmer who served 12 years as a county commissioner. “He flat cared about people.”
Evans was comfortable in his own skin, whether it was plowing the tobacco fields or herding the hogs on the farm he inherited from his late father. Or, a Sunday morning at his beloved red-brick church or giving thought to what Evans believed best for this county.
He cherished Psalm 23 from the Bible and held the scripture close to his heart all of his life.
“He had a shepherd-like care for people,” the preacher said. “Johnnie was an example of what caring people looked like.”
Johnnie Evans was attending N.C. State University and studying agriculture when his father died.
“Johnnie had come home from N.C. State to take over the farm,” the preacher said. “Johnnie seemed to find a way of working hard and taking a lot of responsibility.”
If he wasn’t supervising the work in the fields, you could find him welcoming neighbors at his hardware store adjacent to the church.
“They’d come by to get pipes, screws, or a pack of nabs at the store,” Harrison said, “and a good chicken bone.”
When a father couldn’t afford a red wagon for his son one Christmas, he called Johnnie Evans at home and said he had come up with the money, and pleaded with Evans to open the hardware store on Christmas morning so his boy could have a gift from Santa under the tree. The youngster had his red wagon that Christmas Day.
“He had an extraordinary gift for doing the right thing,” daughter Suzanne Evans said. “Doing the right thing is doing the hard thing.”
Johnnie Evans decided to run for a seat on the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners because he believed in doing what you could for a better community where you lived. He served three, four-year terms from 1987 to 1998. He was the board vice chair in 1989 and 1994 and board chair in 1990 and 1995.
“He was a man who taught you to care about your community,” daughter Amanda Evans said. “He could be stubborn, but he could speak softly.”
Johnnie Evans wasn’t a pretentious commissioner.
He weighed his decisions.
He voted his conscience.
County Commissioner Marshall Faircloth recalled serving with Evans in the early 1990s, and praised Evans for his insight to take what he describes as a “ragtag ambulance and rescue service” and placing it under the auspices of Cape Fear Valley Health.
“They were basically volunteers, they were hard workers and did what they could,” Faircloth said. But Cape Fear Valley Mobile Integrated Healthcare and Cumberland County Emergency Medical Services today is what it is because of Evans’ vision. “It was his idea to give it to the hospital. I will always remember and praise him for that.”
A Legacy of Public Service
Jonathan “Johnnie” Evans VI died July 23, a day before his 86th birthday.
His passing was not lost on Kirk deViere.
“The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners joins our community in mourning the passing of former commissioner and chairman Johnnie Evans,” deViere, the board’s chair, said on behalf of commissioners. “Mr. Evans devoted many years to serving Cumberland County, both as a member of the board through his lifelong commitment to agriculture and community service. During his years on the board, he helped shape the future of our county and leaves behind a legacy of dedicated public service.
“Johnnie was my friend. Beyond his many years of service, he generously shared his time, wisdom and honest counsel. I will always be grateful for his friendship and the example he set through his commitment to our community.
“On behalf of the board of commissioners, I extend my sincere condolences to his family, friends and all who knew him,” deViere said. “We are grateful for his years of leadership, service and lasting contributions.”
Among those attending Evans’ funeral were former commissioners Virginia Thompson Oliver and Billy Horne. Also attending was Commissioner Glenn Adams.
“He was a farmer by trade and a good businessperson,” said Horne, a former Stedman mayor. “He always tried to help those he could.”
Epilogue
The Golden Run was Johnnie Evans’ way.
“He was a Renaissance man,” Amanda Evans said. “He could come home smelling of tobacco or hogs, but then put on a Leon Sugar suit. He lived a long time, but he knew life was too short for animosity. We will remember Daddy’s lessons. We will work hard, be kind and have a little fun along the way.”
Suzanne Evans reminded us of a father with an appreciation and gratitude for life, with a faith in his Lord and Savior.
“Dad was the greatest role model in the world,” she said. “Dad always taught me worry was a waste of time. Dad had an extraordinary gift for living his life in the moment. And he once told me he would rather live the Bible than read it.”
For all his success, Johnnie Evans was just a down-to-earth farmer who loved his wife of 59 years, his daughters, his grandchildren, his church, and calling Vander and Cumberland County home.
The preacher reminded us of Matthew 25:23, another Bible scripture Johnnie Evans held dear.
“Well done,” Harrison said, “good and faithful servant.”
Bill Kirby Jr. can be reached at billkirby49@gmail.com or 910-624-1961.
