Janice Kay Evans

Salt Lake City, Utah—Janice Kay Evans died on August 2, 2026, attended in her last hours by her children, many grandchildren, great-grandchildren and her sister.

It is difficult to describe in a few words the life and character of Jan. She could cuss when called for, sing like an angel, and though she rarely held her tongue, she was blessed with a unique capacity to empathize with and comfort others in their moments of crisis. A social butterfly, she was drawn to people, and in return, people were drawn to her. There is no shortage of anecdotes about the impact of her presence on complete strangers—she befriended everyone, regardless of the circumstance.

She graduated from South High School in 1961, worked as an upholsterer and interior decorator, and owned and managed a furniture store. At home, she was a master chef. There never seemed to be a recipe she followed, only a flair for adding just the right pinches of flavor. She was beloved for her handmade fried wontons, chicken cacciatore, deep-dish pizza, fried chicken, soda cracker pie, and especially her red velvet cake with a frosting that was as uniquely delicious as her personality.

The daughter of Lew and LaVon Averett, she spent nearly every childhood birthday over Labor Day weekend camping in many different canyons, most often Hobble Creek Canyon in Springville. Jan was married to D. Newell Evans, who died in 2021 from pancreatic cancer. They were married for sixty years. After he passed, she missed him terribly and spoke about him daily. Early in their marriage, they were a formidable team, running the local youth baseball league for several years and never missing their children's many sporting and school events. Later in life, Grandma Jan and Papa Newell never missed their grandchildren's sporting or school events. Their dedication to family remained one of the defining constants of their lives.

We can truly say Jan was unafraid of life and its many challenges and triumphs. If she was unhappy, you heard about it, but more importantly, when she was happy, she made everyone around her happier still. Her children learned kindness, generosity, a love of all genres of music, and how to be loud and equally unafraid. If we did not greet life with the same joie de vivre and the requisite level of grace, we were told to “get our shit together and figure it out.” For that, we are forever grateful.

She is survived by her children, Ryan (Sherry), Matt, Steven (Marilyn), Alicia (Joel), Christopher (Nancy); twenty-five grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren and her sister, Pam. 

We are very grateful for the care she received by the wonderful staff at Fairfield Village, Rocky Mountain Care and Hospice and her personal care aides. 

Funeral services will be Wednesday August 5, 2026 at the Evergreen Chapel 2435 East Canyon Rim Drive, Layton, Utah 84040. Viewing from 9:00am - 10:30am. Funeral services begin at 11:00am. Interment at Memorial Redwood Cemetary following the funeral services.