Evan grew up in Old Lyme, Connecticut, the youngest of seven children in the family of Amy and Elbert Henry.  He attended the First Congregational Church in Old Lyme, and was the sexton for the church for his high school years. He participated in sports, student government, and theatrical performances, graduating from Old Lyme High School in 1973.  Evan attended Tufts University in Massachusetts, growing his love for the outdoors with backcountry trips and summer work at Cardigan Lodge near Mount Washington. Evan earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Geology in 1977, followed later by a Master of Science degree in Hydrology from the University of New Hampshire. 

After several years of hydrology consulting work in Pennsylvania, Evan moved to Long Beach, CA, where he married Dillon Henry (née Deborah Dillon). They had two daughters, Amy and Lauren, who they raised together in Newport Beach, CA. Parenting was important to both of them, and together they raised the girls through school, family, and on many vacations. Evan instilled in both his daughters a love of science and the natural world – weekends at the beach, trips to National Parks like Death Valley and Yosemite. Even after their marriage ended, Evan and Dillon always put their daughters first, instilling in them the importance of values like education and hard work, family, good character and kindness.

Evan loved Scrabble, crossword puzzles, and wordplay. He was a lifelong singer, sharing his talents mostly recently in the Sebastopol Gospel Choir. In college he sang tenor in the Beelzebubs a cappella group, and loved a cappella music. His daughter, Amy, followed in his footsteps, by also joining a cappella groups in college. He loved to talk about politics, economics, and philosophy, and coming up with ways to save the world.

Evan always sought to “make a difference”, and dedicated his career and volunteerism to environmental and conservation causes. He was an environmental consultant before being the first scientist hired in financial analysis at Bank of America, where he worked for 24 years. He helped build the Environmental Services department there, he was a founding member of the Environmental Bankers Association, which promotes environmentally responsible business practices. For several years he frequently traveled internationally, with many stories of doing EBA work in places like Papua New Guinea, Budapest, and Malaysia. Evan also served as president for six years for the Bolsa Chica Land Trust, a grassroots organization that works to preserve and restore a local coastal wetland and open space in Huntington Beach, CA. His daughter Lauren shares his passion for the preservation of the coast, and volunteers regularly at a marine mammal rescue center.

Friends will also remember his efforts to increase awareness and understanding of living with Parkinson’s disease. After his diagnosis in 2003, he became active with the Michael J. Fox Foundation and the National Parkinson’s Foundation, and was a founding member and board member of the California Parkinson’s Group, a support network for young-onset Parkinson’s disease patients and their families. Evan wrote and self-published Shaker Guy, a novel with a Parkinsonian protagonist, in 2006. He advocated for Parkinson’s patients on a citizen advisory council to the UC Irvine Stem Cell Research Center, and spoke to the public about his experience with the disease in various settings, including recently at Sebastopol’s Science Buzz Café and in an interview for KCRB public radio. 

When his disability caused him to stop working, Evan decided to set a new direction for his future.  He moved alone to Sebastopol in December 2012 and fully embraced the small-town lifestyle and community, and befriended as many people as he could with his wit and generosity.  He bought a property with apple, pear and walnut trees as well as several grape vines and enjoyed working the land and foraging for blackberries. He was an excellent cook, and loved creative uses of the fruits of his property and others, making jam, apple butter, pies, cider and much more.

Evan was engaged to be married to Mary Ann Carpenter, who he befriended shortly after arriving in Sebastopol. To celebrate Mary Ann’s retirement and birthday, Evan surprised her in late June with a trip to Hawaii and a marriage proposal. They planned to marry in December with their four children present.

Evan is survived by his daughters, Amy and Lauren.  Amy is finishing a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology and Lauren has a Bachelor’s degree in Marine Biology and is working in a veterinary hospital. He is also survived by his older brothers, Eric, Kim and Dave and his sister Lauren.