Union carpenter served on Oregon City Council

5/31/2009

George A. Evans, 91, a former Oregon councilman and a union finish carpenter who worked on houses and executive offices, bridges, and refineries, died Wednesday in Orchard Villa nursing home in Oregon.

He had Parkinson's disease and diabetes and, recently, infections he no longer could fight off, his daughter, Georgette Gabel, said.

He and his family moved to what was then Oregon Township in 1952. In 1956, trustees named him to the zoning appeals board.

Oregon was a city by 1962, when he was elected to council. He served four two-year terms, through 1971. He continued an interest in zoning and supported the recreation department.

Many days, he came home from work, ate dinner, and left for a council or community meeting.

But his days never ended.

"People would call us in the middle of the night, and he would find out who to call to get the sewers pumped out," his daughter said. "He enjoyed it, but I don't think my mother was as fond of it, because it really interrupted your life. He loved the politics and was a staunch Democrat."

He learned carpentry while in the Army during World War II. He was in Europe and North Africa and built boxes and crates for officers who wanted to ship items to the states.

Back home, he was a carpenter for Bostwick-Braun Co. for a time. He was a member of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners Local 1138 for more than 60 years.

Finish carpentry was his specialty. He worked on Owens-Illinois' executive offices under construction in One Seagate; laboratories at the Medical College of Ohio; new homes, and department stores.

He and his wife, a bank executive, retired in 1980 and spent at least six months a year in Florida, first in a mobile home in the Florida Keys and, after Hurricane Andrew in 1992, in a less vulnerable spot in Naples.

A Toledo native, Mr. Evans grew up at the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, where his father was caretaker. He was 9 when his mother died. He stayed with relatives, even in foster care. He was about 14 and his brother John about 16 when they decided to raise themselves. They lived in Harbor View and did odd jobs and took work on farms.

He and his wife, the former Magdalene "Madge" Petok, married Dec. 15, 1941. She died Aug. 27, 2007.

Surviving are his daughter, Georgette Gabel; three grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren, and three step-great-grandchildren.

The body will be in the Freck Funeral Chapel, Oregon, after 1:30 p.m. today, with American Legion services at 4 p.m. today in the mortuary. Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. tomorrow in St. Stephen Church, Toledo, where he was a member.

The family suggests tributes to the city of Oregon's recreation department or Hospice of Northwest Ohio.