Vivan Evens

SHE WILL BE MISSED VIVIAN R. EVENS Vivian R. Evens, 79, of Chico, died March 27, 2003 after an extended illness. Vivian was born in Sallysaw, Oklahoma and came to California as a child during the Midwestern dust bowl crisis. Her family settled in Redlands, California where she attended school and married. While her husband was in the military during WWII, Vivian repaired radios and radar units for the Air Force. After the war, she bore four children with Bruce Burch, who became founding minister of the First Christian Church in Paradise during the 1950's. Eventually Vivian worked as a Licensed Vocational Nurse for Enloe Hospital for 20 years then married Leander Evens, WWII pilot and well known local business building contractor. Once Mrs. Evens retired from Enloe Hospital she proclaimed her new life's motto to be, "Vacation is my business!" She fulfilled that desire by traveling the world over with her daughter, Shirley Shannon, and cruised aboard ships at least a dozen times. Vivian fulfilled her artistic bent by dancing, raising roses and painting in acrylics. Vivian doted on her own cats over the years but also illegally fed the Bidwell Park cats in a partnership with the locally famous "Jimmey." She could not stand to see the park cats starve. She had to feed them. Mrs. Evens leaves four children: Joanne Burch of San Bernardino, an artist; Terry Burch of Chico; Shirley Shannon of Chico, a jet captain for Delta Airlines; and Mark Burch, a businessman from Seaside, California. A memorial service will be held at Brusie Funeral Home on Saturday at 3 p.m. In lieu of flowers, please contribute funds to the Chico Cat Coalition.