Tom Evart died on December 3 in Reno, Nevada at the age of 76 from complications from pneumonia. He had lived in Carson City, Nevada, since 2004 where he had relocated to be General Manager/Director of Golf for Carson City’s Eagle Valley Golf Course. Tom was born in Petaluma in 1943 to parents Thomas (Skip) and Beth Evart. The family moved to Healdsburg in 1952 when the Evarts purchased the slaughter house on Chiquita Road, renaming it the Evart Meat Co.
Tom attended St. John’s Elementary School, Healdsburg Jr. High and Healdsburg High, graduating in 1961. Being an avid sportsman, he played high school baseball, golf and made all-State basketball as a guard, and went on to play Freshman Basketball at USF on scholarship.
He graduated with an Associate Degree in Hotel and Restaurant Administration from San Francisco City College which led to Food and Beverage positions at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel in San Francisco, Silverado Country Club in Napa and later to the Camino Real and Biltmore Hotels in Guatemala City and the Ramada Royal Reef in Belize City. He started his own company, Combesa, S.A., in Guatemala to provide food, beverage and hospitality services to the oil fields. One of his greatest joys was buying and managing a butcher shop in Guatemala City with his dad, Skip, which catered to American expats.
He never gave up his love of sports and was a licensed fishing guide in both Belize and on the Pacific Coast of Guatemala. In the late 90s, he realized yet another dream of managing golf courses, by getting a degree in Golf Complex Management from The Golf Academy of America in Chandler, AZ. He was the Head Teaching Professional at Pointe South Mountain Resort in Phoenix and the General Manager/Director of Golf at Lake Powell National Golf Course in Page, AZ. It was in Page where he met his wife, Virginia. Tom was an avid student of golf, and loved sharing his knowledge with others and teaching the fundamentals of the sport to both children and adults. His sincerity laced with a good sense of humor made him a great teacher. But it wasn’t just golf he followed. He was a “sports nut” and could recite trivia on just about anything requiring a ball and two feet.
After retirement, he was active in RSVP in Carson City as a volunteer driver and was awarded Volunteer of the Year by the non-profit organization.
Tom is survived by his wife Virginia; children Ginny (Colin), Cathrine, Cristina (Scott,) and Cecilia; stepchildren Jeff (Audrey), Jennifer and Julie; 14 grandchildren; six great grandchildren; and sisters Kathryn, Candace and Jill.
A memorial mass will be celebrated on April 3 at noon in Carson City at St. Theresa de Avila Catholic Church. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to The First Tee of Northern Nevada, 3550 Barron Way, Suite 10B, Reno, NV 89511.
