Fern Evans

Fern C. Evans, a longtime Mason Lake resident, passed away on May 13, 2019. She was 96. Fern was born on August 29, 1923 in Ava, Missouri to parents James Christopher Columbus Bench and Zula Page Bench. Fern graduated from Ava High School in Ava, Missouri and went on to complete Nurses School at Drury College in Springfield. She met and married Harry (Tex) F. Evans who was stationed at a nearby military base. Once she graduated, she joined Harry in Tacoma, Washington where he was stationed at Fort Lewis. Fern and Harry raised three daughters while both working full time. Fern first worked at St. Joseph's and Tacoma General in Tacoma. When they bought property in Puyallup to build a house, she started at Good Samaritan Hospital where she became the surgical supervisor. She later worked at St. Josephs again and became an IV Specialist. Once Harry & Fern moved to Mason Lake permanently, she worked for Harrison Memorial Hospital and completed fifty years of nursing before retiring at age seventy. While Fern worked and kept house and raised their daughters, Harry built them a new three-bedroom rambler on five acres in Puyallup. They always had a vegetable garden and raised black berries in the fields for additional income. Later moving to Spring Valley in Federal Way to purchase more acreage, they bought an old craftsman house on previously homesteaded property. They worked hard remodeling the grand old house and maintaining the twelve acres of fields and trees. In the early sixties they purchased undeveloped property on Mason Lake. Again, working hard on weekends and evenings they cleared trees, dynamited stumps, and built a spacious cabin and a floating dock. Years later they rebuilt the cabin into a four-bedroom two story house, and built a large workshop/boat storage for Harry in the back. Her husband Harry died in 1982. Fern continued working full time and living alone in the house in the woods on the lake. They had wonderful neighbors around the lake and were both members in the Mason Benson (MBC) Community Club. Fern joined Ladies of the Lake lunches, card clubs (Bridge was her favorite) and other community activities. As she slowly recovered from the loss of Harry, she began to spread her wings of independence and started traveling the nation and the world. She is survived by her daughters Katherine Evans-Race (husband Don Race) of Sea Tac, WA and Helen E. Ball (husband Corky Ball), Carol Sue (Corky) Evans; three grandchildren; Shawna Race Brayley (husband Dr. J Brayley), Alecia Evans-Race, Taylor Evans-Race (wife Serena Evans-Satoran); Three great grandchildren; Jackson and Jason Brayley, and Benjamin Lawrence Evans-Satoran. Continuing to give even after death Fern donated her remains to the University of Washington, School of Medicine, for the advancement of medical science and education. There will be a memorial service in her honor on Sunday May 19th at 1pm at Powers Funeral Home. Arrangements by Powers Funeral Home.