Obituary for Mary Minor Evans

[Carolyn Snider]

Mary Minor Evans first came to Chautauqua with her parents and siblings in the summer of 1946 and returned the rest of her life.  She worked as a counselor, as a waitress at the Cary Hotel.  Sher participated in the weekend Comet sailboat races.  This love of sailing at Chautauqua she took to the College of Wooster where she and another Chautauquan started a sailing club.  She and her husband Robert brought their sons and grandchildren to Chautauqua as well.  They enjoyed the symphonies, lectures, and all that Chautauqua had to offer.  She was a graduate of the CLSC class of 2000.

Memorial Service 2 pm March 7th
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Duluth
835 West College Street, Duluth, MN

Visitation at 1pm, Service at 2pm, followed by a fellowship reception at UUCD

The ZOOM link: Zoom Link - Meeting ID: 948 5123 1714 Passcode: 440948

Program for Service

Send cards to:
Evans Family
1832 E 5TH ST
Duluth, MN 55812-1341

(More photos below)

Mary Minor Evans died February 22, 2026. 

Mary Carolyn Minor Evans completed her life on February 22, after suffering a stroke. She had 89 wonderful years on Earth.

Mary was born September 26, 1936 in Pittsburgh, PA to Dr. Howard Holland and Katharine Sinclair Minor. Mary grew up in Steubenville, Ohio, and spent summers in Chautauqua, NY. She graduated from Winchester Thurston in Pittsburgh and the College of Wooster with a religion major and chemistry and history minors. She married Robert Evans in 1957, and in 1964 she and Bob moved from Pittsburgh, where Bob was getting his PhD, to Duluth to raise their four sons.

There aren’t many in the area who haven’t benefited from Mary’s volunteerism and activism in some way or another. When she drafted her own obituary, it made her family tired just reading through it. Her boundless energy and endless enthusiasm contributed to making her community better. What follows may seem like a “brag sheet”, but it is more so to show leadership in civic activism, commitment to bettering the world she lived in, and a love for being involved, really involved, in the community. She touched so many lives through her work.

Mary served on the first board at Spirit Mountain, she developed brochures for the hiking trails throughout the city, organized over 2,000 volunteers and tradesmen to build the original Playfront Park, initiated costumed family & servant members as Director of Glensheen - Duluth's historical home, held many city recognitions for volunteers through her position at the Voluntary Action Center, set up volunteer programs for students, adults with problems, and businesses, plus new volunteer programs at the Lake Superior Center and the Bong Veterans Heritage Center. She was the United Way Communication Director, raised money for Hartley Nature Center as Development Director, promoted, facilitated and participated in volunteering and held national and state president offices in connection with training volunteers. Mary headed the Duluth League of Women Voters and served as Recording Secretary for the LWVMN, served on the Duluth City Charter Commission, Parks and Recreation, and Hall of Fame Committees, led the DAR Daughters of Liberty chapter, spent four years on the Minnesota Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution board, and held many positions in the Junior League receiving both the Active Volunteer of the Year award and the Sustainers' Volunteer of the Year award. Mary was president of her investment club and was a member and secretary-treasurer of Red Flannels, a group that organized live band dances, for 20 years. She was president of the UMD Women's Club, member of the Faculty Wives and took on many jobs at UMD. She wrote A Twentieth Century Lady and My Dad the Doctor, books about her parents, taught classes for the University for Seniors, was US president (that’s University for Seniors at UMD, not president of the United States) and was awarded the US Confucius Award. Mary was a graduate of the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle program and served as president of the Duluth Woman's Club. She became Port Cities Woman of the Year and received the Duluth Hall of Fame award. She loved raising her sons and was a den mother, Sunday school teacher, Little League helper, AFS parent and foster parent. She was active with AFS for over 30 years and was her husband's partner in the UMD Study in England program which he directed three different years.

She cherished her husband of over 65 years, sons, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. She enjoyed dancing, throwing parties and welcoming guests, playing bridge with friends, sailing, skiing, traveling to six continents and all 50 states before she was 50, researching genealogy, taking pictures, tennis, swimming, learning, discussing books she had read, participating in gourmet cooking groups, cheering on her Grandma’s marathon running sons, husband and grandchildren, and doing things for others. Her determination, intelligence, common sense, laughter, strength, and kindness will be missed but never forgotten.

Mary was preceded in death by her parents Dr. Howard H. and Katharine S. Minor; husband Dr. Robert H. Evans. She is survived by siblings Katharine (Keekee), Howard and Margaret; son John, children Katie (Chris), Barbie (Rose) and Joe (Alannah); son James (Nikki) children Lucy (Blake) and Sam (MacKenzie); son Alan (Renee) children Silka (Michael), Kyra (Gianna) and Torrey; son Matt (Shelly) and eight great-grandchildren, Makey, Gabriella, Louella, Alexandra, Genevieve, Albert, Lillian, and Graham.

In lieu of flowers the family would like you to channel Mary’s indomitable spirit and look at volunteering opportunities that can make the world around you a better place.

This photo was taken in the last year and is the one that pops up on my phone when she called. I got to see this photo a LOT in the past year as she called to get her tires filled, or had a computer question. I think getting her an iPhone caused her to call me 3 times a week with questions, and for that I am thankful.

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-- 
Carolyn A. Snider 

Administrative Assistant
Department of Religion
csn...@chq.org | o: 716.357.6274 | c: 716.581.2089 

Chautauqua Institution

PO Box 74 | 1 Ames Ave. 
Chautauqua, NY 14722 
f: 716.357.9014 
chq.org | assembly.chq.org

Join us at Chautauqua for our 2026 Summer Assembly, June 27 – August 30, 2026.

 

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