Gary Elden Evans

October 17, 1949 – September 16, 2026

On Wednesday, September 16, 2026, Gary Elden Evans passed away peacefully at home in his sleep. With the love and care of his family, Gary was able to spend his final days at home, surrounded by the people who meant the most to him. His family came together to provide comfort, companionship, and love, allowing Gary to remain at home surrounded by family until the very end.

Gary was born in Murray, Utah, to Elden and Nola Evans. He graduated from Olympus High School in 1968 and later served a two-year mission in Germany. After returning home he eventually met Cindy, his wife of more than 50 years. Together, they built a home and raised a family, creating many memories along the way.

Gary worked as a manager at Zions Bank for more than 25 years and later at Summit Financial. Retirement did not come easily to someone accustomed to having somewhere to go and something to do. Thankfully, some of his longtime “referee buddies” continued to get him out. Gary looked forward to their monthly lunches.

Sports were a constant throughout Gary’s life. He spent 50 years refereeing and umpiring baseball, softball, basketball, football and score keeping. Wherever the game was, Gary was likely to be there, and chances were he knew just about everyone there.

Those years also gave him one of his most memorable nicknames: “The Penguin,” inspired by his unmistakable waddle across the fields and courts. The nickname became almost as recognizable as Gary himself.

And then there was the legendary comb-over, somehow always returning to its proper place with a quick adjustment of his hat or brush of his fingers. Between the Penguin waddle, the comb-over, and his unmistakable voice, Gary had a presence people remembered.

Gary also coached his children in baseball when they were young, sharing his knowledge and love of the game. He was a walking encyclopedia of sports history, statistics, and trivia, seemingly always ready with another fact.

Gary enjoyed watching his grandchildren grow and took an interest in the things that mattered to them. Whenever he could, he attended their sporting events and musical performances and enjoyed being part of their lives.

Outside of sports, Gary loved reading, trains, music and history. At home, there was a good chance he could be found watching a program about trains or something on the History Channel. He also enjoyed visiting the post office to purchase limited-edition stamps, adding to his collection over the years.

Getting into a car with Gary could be an adventure of its own. He loved the back roads and regularly chose what everyone else simply called “the long way.” Somehow, despite being known as the slowest driver in the family, he also managed to collect more speeding tickets than anyone else. Those extra miles and stories from the road became part of the memories his family gets to keep.

Gary is survived by his sister, Donna Anderson; his children Brent (Catherine), John (Brenda), James, Thomas, Becky (Mark) and William (Brittany). His grandchildren, Trevor, Alex, Wyatt, Tyler, Hunter, Jacob, Joshua, Isaac, Alysa, Lilly, Caden, Alyssa, and Myles.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Cynthia Evans; his parents, Elden and Nola Evans; and his sister, Mildred Meyers.

Gary’s family would like to express their sincere gratitude to the friends, family members, caregivers, and others who cared for and supported him toward the end of his life. Your kindness, companionship, and willingness to be there for Gary meant a great deal to him and to his family.