MARILYN KAY POMMER EVANS
Born 10-21-34, Died 10-02-11
Marilyn Kay Pommer Evans was born in Clark, South Dakota on October 21, 1934. At 18 she enlisted in the U.S. Navy. As luck would have it on October 22, 1954 a handsome young seaman came into her office (it just happened to be his birthday). Although she was engaged to another young man at the time, when dad walked in that door, it didn’t take her long to capture his heart, and on February 7, 1955 they were married. Dad headed off to Korea and mom headed to Washington, D.C.
After a year apart, they reunited and moved to Seattle, WA. In the fall of 1956, they took the offer of the BI Bill seriously and moved to Pocatello, ID where they started school at Idaho State University. Mom graduated in 1959 with her Bachelor’s Degree and her Masters Degree in 1960. The story of mom and dad meeting in October, marrying on February 7th, having one daughter on February 12th, and having another daughter on February 21st, led some to tease them about being fast movers.
This was just the beginning of mom’s love affair with schools, colleges and universities. In 1960 she started her career at Weber High School as a counselor after they moved to Ogden, UT. She then became a counselor at the new Bonneville High School and in 1965 she decided to pursue her PHd in Education at Indiana University. When she came back to Ogden in 1967, she became Asst. Professor of Psychology at Weber State College and department head of Ethnic Studies from 1974-1975. In 1974 came her biggest accomplishment when she was named Dean of Student Affairs at Weber State College. She was the first woman in Utah to hold the position of Dean of Students. She held that position for 11 years, while being a professor Sociology and Social Work. In 1985, she went with dad to Germany for his job as a civilian with the US Air Force.
From 1985-1988 she taught for the University of Maryland at Ramstein AFB in Germany. After returning from Germany she taught again for Weber State University from 1989-1999 as a Professor of Social Work. In 2000 mom and dad moved to Nampa, Idaho to be with their grandchildren. Mom took a couple years off to help dad with the house of their dreams. In 2003 she became an Adjunct Professor at College of Idaho in their Education department supervising student teachers. She got to work, play a little, and give a lot.
We brought mom home on Friday evening, the 30th of Septemberr, 2011. Accent Hospice was a Godsend in helping us understand what mom was going through. With the help from the Accent Hospice nurse, she passed peacefully and painlessly from this world on Sunday evening. Mom we are going to miss you so much. You thought you’d live to be 100, it was not to be. About a year ago you told us, if you died now you would die happy because you had done everything you had wanted to with no regrets.
Marilyn Kay Evans was preceded in death by both parents, Glenn S. and Elaine Pommer. She is survived by her husband DeVon “Pete” Evans, Nampa, ID; daughters, Tracey Evans, Nampa, ID; Kelli (Craig) Furniss, Evanston, WY; grandchildren Carrington ichael (McKenzie) Clement, Cheyenne Montgomery Clement, both of Nampa, ID; two sisters, Sharon (Ron) Peterson, Waco, TX; and Deborah (Scott) Greenwell, Ogden, UT; two brothers, Dale (Mary) Pommer, Nashville, TN;and Brian (Diane) Pommer, Missoula, MT; two great grandchildren, Christian Martin Clement, Channing Michael-Aeran Clement, both of Nampa, ID; numerous nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews, some who will miss her and some who are not old enough to have had the wonderful pleasure of having “Aunt Kay” in their lives.