Cmdr. Tom and Dottie Evans
Dottie and Tom are coming home. Longtime residents, Dorothy K. of Montgomery and Thomas B. Evans, Cmdr. USN (Ret.) of Pittsburgh, left Decatur in 2007 because illness required the help of their son, Mike, in Norfolk, Va. During Tom’s 25 year Navy career, Dottie had created elegant homes for her family twice in Texas, California and Virginia, and once each in Mississippi and Nebraska, before getting the one she most wanted and loved for 32 years in Decatur. Cmdr. Evans had been a carrier jet pilot flying off USS Boxer, Lake Champlain, Intrepid, and Bon Homme Richard during Korea, Vietnam and the Cold War. As it turned out, being a qualified nuclear weapons delivery pilot was just the ticket to man his first civilian job 1975-80 as director of the Austin HS NJROTC program. In roughly five year segments, he later served as general manager at Decatur Country Club and as managing partner at Sixth Avenue Car Wash. They 
loved First Methodist where each served board positions, and Tom was a 30-year member of the choir. His only music director that whole time, Jimmy Cantrell, swears he couldn’t read a lick of music. But when in front of stage bands at dances, it was Dottie who took the mike often for her signature song, “Mack the Knife.” What she was known for best, though, was “the laugh,” and her ability to light up a room with her cheer.
Even in weak last days at her retirement center in Norfolk, she was the humor everywhere she went. As it turns out, in her last two years, she emerged as a warrior for Tom and dozens of folks in her facility, when a thoughtless board, and an incompetent director, implemented internal policies that discriminated against less mobile residents. Dottie and two of her gal pals resisted for nine months, and at great risk of retaliation, allowed herself to be quoted in the New York Times and Norfolk’s Virginian-Pilot. The publicity led to policy reversal, and a justice dept investigation and $390,000 penalty. Not many folks are making that much difference at 87. The couple died five months apart in 2012. In a final act of service, each of their remains went to the Anatomy Departpment at Eastern VA Medical School. Their ashes are being returned to the hometown they chose in a celebration at 10 a.m. Tuesday, July 28th at First United Methodist. Remembrances in their honor to First Church (decaturfumc.org) are very appreciated.
