Really Strange Obit (long but worth reading)
Turquoise
EVANICK Robert Bruce Evanick (always known as Bruce to those who loved him -
and those who employed him and exploited his work ethic) -- died Tuesday
afternoon, December 4th, 2007. A massive heart attack killed him - despite
the heroic efforts of many physicians, surgeons and nurses - in a waiting
area at Ochsner Hospital. He was not an inpatient there. He was there to
provide company and comfort to Brenda, his wife, whom he loved and
supported, in all ways, for 32 years. Her heart is broken. He died a
horrendous death, on the floor of the waiting room, at Brenda's feet. To
her, he was the most kind, most gentle, and most generous person she has
ever known. His death should be a warning to all those who believe that they
are being used by insensitive employers. He deserved better, both in life
and death. Bruce had been seduced into a sedentary and high stress life
style after he moved to New Orleans by the promise of "big money" from a
corporate defense law firm. Essentially, his succumbing to that seduction
and his devotion to duty caused his death. Of the many shareholders in the
firm for which he labored, only one took the personal initiative to call
Brenda to offer her personal condolences. Several colleagues believe that
Brenda and Bruce were divorced. This is not true. They lived apart for
several years but were in friendly communication, especially enjoying Sunday
breakfasts together. His devoted secretary rushed to the hospital, along
with the office manager, to comfort and assist Brenda. Debbie R. has been
kind and helpful and is greatly saddened by Bruce's demise. Bruce was
brilliantly intelligent, with an impressive knowledge of the law and many
other disciplines. Bruce's encyclopedic knowledge of sterling silver --
including the most rare and sought after makers and patterns - put him far
above the average collectors. He also knew textiles intimately, including
old and new quilts, embroideries from ancient to modern, laces, silks, and
all forms of the highest quality handwork in fabric and thread. His
appreciation of textiles included loving the custom made shirts that Brenda
designed and constructed for him. Bruce loved handmade rugs the best of all
of the textiles. He was a connoisseur of the finest of hand woven rugs, both
Asian and Middle Eastern. He appreciated exquisite fabrics from around the
world and from every era. From his parents who were antique dealers he
learned at an early age to discern the best in art and antiques of every
sort. He knew porcelains, paintings, fine photography, jewelry, glassware,
watches, bronzes and a myriad of other forms of the finest of decorative
arts. His homes reflected his love of the beautiful and unique. His
residence in Algiers Point was a house he selected because he said "I want
to buy a house that is so beautiful that people will point at it". He
achieved this, as he achieved so many of his personal goals. He loved and
thoroughly enjoyed and knew gourmet food, superb Scotch and made the world's
best chocolate chip cookies. He loved and was amazingly successful at
seeking out treasures in yard sales and auctions. He shared those treasures
unselfishly with Brenda and friends and colleagues. Bruce was awesomely
knowledgeable in the law since it was the foremost of his passions. Close
behind that fund of academic knowledge came his deep and profound knowledge
of many sciences. Colleagues from his years as a notable attorney in York
County Pennsylvania have said recently "Bruce was extremely intelligent and
knew more law than most attorneys" and "the guy was just impossible to
adequately describe". When people say "We're not going to see the likes of
him again" it applies tenfold to him". Colleagues at the New Orleans firm
have talked about his "ability to comprehend and converse" about the
complicated scientific processes of the corporations he represented. They
have said "he could talk on those Ph.D. levels on all issues of science."
Bruce was born and raised in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He attended Scranton
Preparatory School there. He went on to the University of Notre Dame where
he graduated in 1971 then to Duquesne University where he received his law
degree in 1974. Bruce was the very first law clerk employed in York County
Pennsylvania in 1974. He clerked for all seven sitting judges at that time.
It was at that time that he got the nickname "The Wizard". Later he became a
full-time public defender there because, as he told Brenda, "I don't want to
prosecute people". He became the chief Public Defender in the early 1980's
and was in that position, serving indigent people with his impartial and
powerful skills till he retired in 1996. Then he happily moved to New
Orleans with Brenda and a retired racing Greyhound - both of whom he adored.
While residing in York, PA, Bruce was very much involved in the care of a
large collection of exotic birds that he and Brenda collected and kept and
propagated. They received permission from the federal government to keep and
attempt to propagate the crucially endangered Rothschilds Mynahs. Bruce and
Brenda succeeded in raising four Rothschilds (Bali) Mynahs, hand-feeding
them from the day they hatched in an incubator. They also raised hundreds of
rare and delicate finches and softbilled birds and exhibited them all across
the USA. They won many awards, including "Exhibitor of the Year" and
"Outstanding Grassroots Activist" awards for supporting the captive breeding
programs for rare and endangered species. They expanded that loving care
into founding and operating a wild bird rescue agency that treated and
released native wild birds that had been orphaned or injured. They released
many hundreds of them back to the wild. That organization still flourishes
and serves today in the care of dear friends of Bruce and Brenda. While
still in Pennsylvania, Bruce became a successful gardener. He expanded that
knowledge and skill in Louisiana. With Brenda he amassed a collection of
rare orchids, ferns, ivies and bromeliads that comprise a lush garden at
their Algiers Point home. Bruce had a fabulous goldfish pond built for
Brenda as a birthday gift and it still sparkles and gurgles in their garden.
Bruce's death leaves a huge void in the world. It is truly a sin and a shame
that only one of his fellow shareholders were moved to personally console
his widow. He loved her to his last breath and would have been deeply
saddened by their cold attitude. Bruce is survived by two siblings from whom
he was estranged. The firm will be holding a Memorial Service in their
office sometime on Monday, December 10, 2007. It is not known if they would
welcome people from outside the firm and the firms prestigious client list.
Brenda will not attend. Bruce has been cremated and his remains will be
placed in an exquisite wooden box which he loved and will remain with his
grieving widow. From his birth on November 7, 1949 to his death on December
4, 2007 he was a most remarkable individual, unique and gifted in more ways
than most humans. The world is diminished and made less interesting by his
death. Bruce Evanick's obituary was composed, written, and submitted by
Brenda Evanick. All thoughts, opinions and declarations in it are ENTIRELY
hers and do not reflect input from any other persons, LIVING OR DEAD, other
than those presented as quotations. Donations may be made in his name to:
Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency (LOPA), 4441 North I-10 Service Road.
Metairie LA 70006.
Published in The Times-Picayune on 12/9/2007.
Kathi
It was definitely worth reading.
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Rob Cibik
> Robert Bruce Evanick
> EVANICK Robert Bruce Evanick (always known as Bruce to those who loved him -
> and those who employed him and exploited his work ethic) -- died Tuesday
> afternoon, December 4th, 2007. A massive heart attack killed him - despite
> the heroic efforts of many physicians, surgeons and nurses - in a waiting
> area at Ochsner Hospital.
> Her heart is broken. He died a horrendous death, on the floor of the waiting room, at Brenda's feet.
not a scene i would want to replay in my mind, but...
> His death should be a warning to all those who believe that they
> are being used by insensitive employers. He deserved better, both in life
> and death. Bruce had been seduced into a sedentary and high stress life
> style after he moved to New Orleans by the promise of "big money" from a
> corporate defense law firm. Essentially, his succumbing to that seduction
> and his devotion to duty caused his death.
'seduced into a sedentary and high stress life style'? how many
attorneys have a physically active stress-free workday? this
intelligent and talented man couldn't say, "i quit."? this is somehow
the fault of his employer?
> Of the many shareholders in the firm for which he labored, only one took the personal initiative to call
> Brenda to offer her personal condolences. Several colleagues believe that Brenda and Bruce were divorced. This is not
> true. They lived apart for several years but were in friendly communication, especially enjoying Sunday breakfasts > together.
welcome to corporate caring. as for the belief they were divorced,
what did he do to dispel this notion?
> Bruce was born and raised in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He attended Scranton
> Preparatory School there.
a fellow ex-pat scrantonian. i wonder if his cancer valley accent
followed him through life and if so, how the cajuns were able to
interpret his speech.
> Bruce's death leaves a huge void in the world. It is truly a sin and a shame
> that only one of his fellow shareholders were moved to personally console
> his widow. He loved her to his last breath and would have been deeply
> saddened by their cold attitude.
if the colleagues were that cold and uncaring who needs their false
condolences? surely during one of the sunday breakfasts he mentioned
what cold and uncaring colleagues they were,
> Bruce is survived by two siblings from whom he was estranged.
ok, if you're gonna blast the co-workers for their lack of sympathy
gives us the dirt on the estrangement.
> The firm will be holding a Memorial Service in their office sometime on Monday, December 10, 2007. It is not known if > they would welcome people from outside the firm and the firms prestigious client list.
a memorial service six days from the day of death at the expense of
the firm doesn't sound too uncaring or it is cya p.r.?
> Brenda will not attend.
too little too late? or spitefulness?
> Bruce Evanick's obituary was composed, written, and submitted by
> Brenda Evanick. All thoughts, opinions and declarations in it are ENTIRELY
> hers and do not reflect input from any other persons, LIVING OR DEAD, other
> than those presented as quotations.
just in case.
obviously written while the wounds are still open. i hope she doesn't
harbor this too long or she'll become a bitter person. thanks for
sharing.
Stacia
>'seduced into a sedentary and high stress life style'? how many
>attorneys have a physically active stress-free workday? this
>intelligent and talented man couldn't say, "i quit."? this is somehow
>the fault of his employer?
Yeah, I have to agree. If he was wealthy enough to afford all those
silks and silver pieces, he could certainly have afforded to get a job
that was healthier for him.
I also notice that his secretary and an office manager ran to the
hospital, and the firm is holding a memorial service for the guy, yet the
widow mentioned that the co-workers were all uncaring. It doesn't sound
uncaring to me.
As to the bit about his wife maybe being his ex-wife, and his siblings
being estranged from him, I suspect that he may not have been quite as
perfect as the rambling obit claimed he was.
>obviously written while the wounds are still open. i hope she doesn't
>harbor this too long or she'll become a bitter person. thanks for
>sharing.
I agree, she's probably devastated and not thinking clearly. I just
wish someone had helped her tone down this obit, because she lashes out at
a lot of people in it who probably don't deserve it.
Stacia
Rick B.
> Rob Cibik <lcp...@hotmail.com> writes:
>
>>'seduced into a sedentary and high stress life style'? how many
>>attorneys have a physically active stress-free workday? this
>>intelligent and talented man couldn't say, "i quit."? this is somehow
>>the fault of his employer?
>
> Yeah, I have to agree. If he was wealthy enough to afford all those
> silks and silver pieces, he could certainly have afforded to get a job
> that was healthier for him.
> I also notice that his secretary and an office manager ran to the
> hospital, and the firm is holding a memorial service for the guy, yet the
> widow mentioned that the co-workers were all uncaring. It doesn't sound
> uncaring to me.
Tribute on the front page of the firm's web site:
http://www.abbott-simses.com/
Apairateef
"Kathi" <seidl-nos...@ic.net> wrote in message
news:28dlm3lruuu12pk7p...@4ax.com...
> Oh my.
>
> It was definitely worth reading.
Very interesting..makes one wonder what people would write for your own
obit.
I disagree with being seduced by the large pay though...people have a choice
in life and high salaries do not come without stress.
--
Sarndra
www.sarndra.com
"Why get married and make one man miserable when I can stay single and make
thousands miserable?"
Carrie Snow
mack
Bill Schenley
> as Bruce to those who loved him - and those who
> employed him and exploited his work ethic) -- died
> Tuesday afternoon, December 4th, 2007.
I just got around to reading this obit. Hilarious. Even better, it's all
over the Internet. Here are a few of the quotes from others who have read
it (from eight or ten sites). Some are hysterical:
"Oh. My. God."
"I'm guessing there was no other loved one around
to put a stop to this because that crazy bitch alienated
him from his family and turned him gay, gay. gay.
Wouldn't you rather pack fudge and tend your Mynah
birds than listen to her?"
"I'm truly stunned by this level of narcissism. Did Bruce
do anything at all, even go the bathroom, without Brenda?
I was surprised to get to the end and not read that she's
planning to sue the members of the firm who didn't call
her to personally offer condolences."
"That is the longest damned obit I've ever seen for
somebody that didn't get medals for their service."
"Yeah, thats an obit you dont see every day. we half
expected it to end 'he was buried face down so
everyone could kiss his ass.'"
"Anyway, seeing that Mr. Evanick was from Louisiana
we looked up his Louisiana State Bar Association
membership and found out he was a shareholder in
Abbott, Simses & Kuchler and he was apparently the
head of human resources there."
"If I had to live with the hoity-toity high-brow bitch
that wrote all that bullshit, I'd clutch my chest and
drop dead as well."
"Dear Brenda, I thought you might like to know that
your obit is being forwarded all over the South to
law firms."
"I don't want to be that guy in ten years."
"let me the the FIRST to say, this is terrible of her to
be so petty."
"Wow. Crazytown."
"The lesson: An obituary is a great place to air an
agenda."
"A big law partner working himelf to death? That *is*
big news. I thought that's what associates were for."
"Brenda sounds like a kook. Or maybe a ninja?"
"His sedentary lifestyle is hardly the firm's fault. Hit the
treadmill. Everyone in NO is in terrible shape and has
clogged arteries and high blood pressure."
"Don't blame the guy or the firm; I think the wife was a
little looney."
"That's what decades of nitrous, crawdads, beer and
boobs, i.e. Mardi Gras will get you . . . .A PLACE IN
FRICKIN HEAVEN!!! WOOO HOOOO."
"I wonder how he paid for that expensive silver, handmade
rugs, beautiful house, gourmet food, and superb Scotch.
And how he found time to enjoy them all with that work
ethic and devotion to duty."
"Oh come on. they didn't live together and only saw each
other once a week. why would you call her to offer
condolences?"
"He had enough free time to go visit her in the hospital.
I don't know what she's complaining about."
"Anybody doubt that the estrangement from the 2 siblings
was due to him marrying (and perhaps becoming) . . . let's
see, how to put this respectfully . . . a bit of an eccentric?"
"'He also knew textiles intimately, including old and new
quilts, embroideries from ancient to modern, laces, silks,
and all forms of the highest quality handwork in fabric and
thread.' Heh, he knew textiles intimately. Guess an old sock
wasn't good enough."
"Anyone remember Sopranos Season 1, when Mikey
Palmice told his wife to go F herself, but after he got shot
she told the press that his last words to her were "I love you"?
I wonder if this is kind of like that."
"Let's just hope she doesn't put the obit on his tombstone."
"Presumably had a life insurance policy, and dropped dead
from overwork -- my wife would be thanking the firm!"
"Please, living apart for several years? Estranged from his
siblings? Only one shareholder consoled her from the firm?
Sounds like Brenda and Bruce were assholes - not the other
way around. Oh, and RIP Bruce."
"Can I hire this woman to write my O-bitch-uary?"
"Please berate me if you disagree, but my take is: after
years of hiding out in the office to avoid having to go home,
Bruce couldn't take this (possibly mentally ill) woman any
longer and moved out. He was a decent guy, felt badly for
her and didn't divorce her (possibly to keep her on his health
insurance?), and continued to spend time with her. She uses
the obituary to prove to the world how much more she loved
him than his 'estranged' siblings, and those awful colleagues
who didn't bother to call her because they knew exactly what
the score was."
"At least she wrote him up as dying at her feet, rather than in
the bed of the devoted secretary... isnt that supposed to be a
Biglaw perk...?"
---
"The second obit, which dispenses with pleasantries to
paint a portrait of a brilliant, difficult-to-know man who
comes off as being a real pain to deal with."
"He was arrogant. I was trying to describe him without
using that word. But he was smarter than you, and he
let you know it. People did not give him the respect he
actually deserved. He was an outstanding lawyer.
He didn't care what people thought about him at all."
"It sounds like he might have had Asperger's Syndrome -
the high intelligence and low social skills are big clues."