- Date Of Death: April 18, 2018
- State: Indiana
Frederick Harris Evans, III
6 August 1943 – 18 April 2018
Fred Evans was born in Washington, DC, on 6 August 1943 to Dr. Frederick H. Evans, II, of Terre Haute, Indiana, and Dr. Shirley Richardson Evans of Washington, DC. When he was a child, he and his family moved to Indianapolis where he became the first African American child to attend St.
Fred attended both the Indiana College of Mortuary Science and Fisk University, and during his college years, he participated in several demonstrations as part of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and knew now-Senator John Lewis. Later, Fred worked for Eli Lilly & Company as a department head in Accounting, a position he retired from in 1999 after 30 years of employment. Fred also spent time working with Heritage Place of Indianapolis. Of course, people who knew Fred were well-aware of his love of bicycling! As an avid cyclist since 1974, he logged close to 200,000 miles throughout his adult life as a member of the Central Indiana Bicycling Association, an organization of which he also served several times as president. In 1981, he campaigned to have the newly constructed velodrome near Marian University (then Marian College) named after Marshall “Major” Taylor, a champion black cyclist and an Indianapolis native. Fred served as chairman of the bicycling events for the 1982 National Sports Festival, and he served as co-chairman of Games and Venue for the 1987 Pan American Games. In later years, Fred and friend Charlie Beard enjoyed organizing an annual “Bicycle Boot Camp” in Venice, Florida, for their fellow bicycling enthusiasts. He became active with the Spokes of Hope Cyclists Combating Cancer Foundation, and he wrote a book about his first cancer-fighting experience, entitled Surviving Cancer: Keeping Laughter and Faith in High Gear, printed by Hilton Publishing Company.
Fred Evans entered immortality on Wednesday morning, 18 April 2018. He was preceded in death by both of his parents and a host of family members and friends, including his childhood friend, the late Honorable Judge Mark D. Batties. Fred is survived by his bride of 52 years (Linda Simms Evans), his two children (Frederick H. “Rick” Evans, IV and Edan N. Evans de Roziere), his son-in-law (Glenn de Roziere), his grandson (Sean Frederic de Roziere), his step-grandson (Daniel de Roziere), his sibling (Sister Noel Faustina), his niece (Lisa Martin), his grand-nephew (Lorenzo Taylor), his grand-niece (Nina Taylor), his uncle (Carl Barnett), and a vast collection of relatives, friends, and associates. Called Yeye by his grandson, Fred Evans will be dearly missed by all who knew and loved him.
