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Official Obituary of

Edward Graham Evans Jr.

September 9, 1942 ~ March 20, 2021 (age 78) 78 Years Old

Edward Evans Jr. Obituary

Edward Graham Evans, Jr. (known as Graham), 78, of Urbana, IL passed away on Saturday, March 20, 2021 after many years of living with Parkinson’s disease.

Visitation will be held from 6:00 to 8:00 pm on Friday, March 26, 2021 at Renner-Wikoff Chapel. All guest are required to wear a mask due to COVID-19, thank you.
Graham was born in Aurora, Illinois on September 8, 1942 to Edward Graham Evans, Sr. and Elenore Goodwin. They preceded him in death.
Graham had several great loves in his life. His first love was his high-school sweetheart Kay Esser who he married in 1966. They were happily married for 53 years before she passed away in January 2020. Graham also loved mathematics, education, students, travel, good food and his family.
Graham and Kay’s love of travel began with a month-long honeymoon in Europe which he called “the not so recent pleasantness.” Graham continued to travel with his family for most of his life. Many summers and holidays included trips around the US or in Europe. Graham was always especially fond of great restaurants and bakeries.
Graham taught at the University of Illinois from 1977 until his retirement in 2004. Over the years he and Kay taught, supported, and informally adopted many students. His love of food and students intersected. It was not uncommon to see students at the dinner table - pizza parties for undergraduates, or something cooked from Julia Child’s cookbook for older guests. Several students and professors from around the world became lifelong friends. Towards the end of his career Graham became Director of Undergraduate Studies for the math department.
Graham is survived by his two sons: Carl (Graham Carl Evans) and Michael (George Michael Evans). Michael lives in California and is married to Cyndi Evans. Carl is married to Jennifer Roth and teaches computer science at the University of Illinois. Carl and Jen’s child, Nora Evans, brought much joy to Graham. Graham is also survived by his older sister Martha Sloan of Houghton, Michigan.
Memorial contributions may be made in Graham’s honor to St. Patrick’s Catholic Church.

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