Reginald Earl Evans' Obituary
Reginald Earl Evans - known as "Earl" - passed away peacefully on May 16, 2026, at his Tulsa home. He was 88 years old.
Earl was born on April 3, 1938, in Woodville, Texas, to Reginald May and Neva (Harrison) Evans. He grew up on the family farm among cattle, chickens, and horses - a rooted, unhurried beginning that shaped the quiet steadiness he carried through his entire life. He graduated from Woodville High School in 1955, where he marched with the school band, clarinet in hand.
Earl went on to study engineering at Lamar Tech in Beaumont, where fate rewarded him not only with a degree but with the woman he would spend his life beside. It was there that he met Faye while working as a dormitory counselor, a chance encounter that became the great love story of his life. He later earned a master's degree in industrial engineering from the University of Arkansas.
His professional career took him to Tennessee Eastman, where his daughters Donna and Dina were born, and eventually to Occidental Petroleum, where he spent 27 years in the tax technical systems department. There, Earl did what he did best - he saw a problem and built a solution, writing the computer system the company used to file its taxes. Occidental Petroleum ultimately brought the family to Tulsa, where Earl would put down lasting roots. Throughout every chapter of his career, he was always developing something: a billing system for physicians, a game he spoke of with unmistakable pride, and countless programs designed to make some corner of the world run a little more smoothly. He designed his own sophisticated home sprinkler system for good measure. Always innovating, always optimizing - Earl could not help but look at a process and quietly wonder how it might be improved.
He was a devoted member of St. James Presbyterian Church, where he served for many years as an elder and clerk of the session. On the tennis courts at the RH91 Tennis Club on 91st Street, he was a familiar and competitive presence, playing for many years and competing regionally and nationally.
But it was at home where Earl was most himself. His daughters knew they could call on him for anything - he was their cavalry, the one who could fix any problem, no matter what it was. And then there were his beloved cats, Skeeter and Smudgepot, born under his front porch and cherished as his "little girls." Earl was their "Mommy," and anyone who knew him knew better than to refer to them as mere cats.
Earl is survived by his wife of 63 years, Faye (Reeves) Evans, whom he married on January 26, 1963; his daughters, Donna Evans Verma and her husband Ashok Verma, and Dina Evans; and his grandchildren, Katherine and Gwendolyn. He was preceded in death by his parents; his brothers, John Allen Evans and Terry Evans; his grandson Harrison; and his beloved little girls, Skeeter and Smudgepot.
A memorial service honoring Earl will be held at 10:00 AM on Saturday, May 23, 2026, at St. James Presbyterian Church. The service will be livestreamed via the church's Facebook page for those unable to attend in person.
The family kindly requests that floral arrangements be ordered through The Willow Tree Florist, 4749 S. Union Ave., Tulsa, OK 74107, (918) 488-0810.
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