Mrs. Anne B. Evans

January 11, 1936 - February 7, 2020

Anne (nee Black) "Shiny" Evans, beloved wife of the late Robert Middleton Evans Sr.; devoted mother of Sally (nee Evans) Yost and R. Middleton Eavns Jr.; dear grandmother of Madison, Winslow, and Kiefer Yost; dear sister of Marilyn Nuttle and the late Robert W. Black Jr. Anne Lovelace Black Evans 1936-2020 Anne B. Evans, a retired fundraiser and philanthropist, passed away from complications from dementia on February 7, 2020 at Symphony Manor Assisted Living and Memory Care in Roland Park. She was 84. The daughter of Robert Wilmer Black Sr., an accountant, and Gertrude Henn Black, a homemaker, Anne was born and raised in Baltimore. Her older sister, Marilyn Nuttle, resides in Broadmeade in Hunt Valley. Her older brother, Robert W. Black Jr. passed away in 2018. She is also survived by a daughter, Sally Yost, of Baltimore, a son, Middleton Evans, and a daughter-in-law, Kristie Evans, of Phoenix, Maryland, and three grandchildren: Madison Yost, Winslow Yost and Kiefer Yost. Known to all her friends as “Shiny,” she was bestowed this charming nickname by her father, who loved to comment on her “shiny black” eyes. Her mother, Gertrude, made the name official when they were shellacking the wooden floors of their Pinehurst home, and Anne, a toddler at the time, accidently got shellac in her dark hair, and the rest is history. Her high school years were spent at Friends School of Baltimore on North Charles Street, and they were good years indeed, paving the way for a lifelong relationship. Quite the social butterfly, she was involved in many aspects of student life… sports, cheerleading, and yearbook editor, to name a few. Summers were spent waitressing with her sister in Ocean Grove, NJ, home of their maternal grandparents. She graduated from Friends School in 1954. Her circuitous college career began at Northwestern as a freshman, but it wasn’t a good fit, being so far away from home. She transferred to Cornell University in upstate New York, where her older brother, Robert, was a big man on campus and could keep a close eye on her. While at Cornell she met her first husband, Bill McDonald, whom she would marry while a student. That marriage was short lived, but did produce her first child, a daughter named Sally Lee. Returning to Baltimore to live with her parents on Park Avenue in Mount Vernon, she took a job in the millinery department at the famous Hutzler Brothers Department Street on Howard Street. It was here that she stepped onto an elevator one fateful day and caught the eye of a handsome IBM salesman, Bob Evans, an Air Force veteran who had graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 1954. After a brief courtship, Shiny and Bob wed in November 1959 at the Church of the Redeemer. The next few years were dedicated to finishing her college degree at Towson State Teacher’s College. And then a son came along in November, 1963 with the birth of Robert Middleton Evans Jr. While raising her family, with Bob building his computer services business, DP Associates, Shiny felt a call to service, and like many of her friends, joined the Junior League of Baltimore. That lead to a volunteer counseling position at Planned Parenthood for several years. Shiny also joined the Women’s Club of Roland Park, and loved to make fudge for the annual Flower Mart in Mount Vernon. Her life of service to the community would take a major turn in 1979, when she was hired to serve in the Development Office under Headmaster Bill Mules. Her affection for McDonogh dated back many years, to the time when her brother was a student. Now her son, Middleton, was a ninth grader, and much of her life already revolved around this beloved school, as Middleton entered in the 3rd grade. Over her 18-year career at McDonogh, she functioned as a Major Gifts Officer. One of her favorite assignments was to keep a close watch on Beale Rollins, a 1915 graduate, who now lived on campus as a major supporter of the school. An elderly man now with limited mobility, Shiny would drive him all over campus in a golf cart, as he loved to attend school functions and interact with the McDonogh community. According to her longtime friend and former Alumni Director, John Sieverts, Shiny “figured out early on that fundraising was all about the relationship, and very much a long-term process.” She often said that “people give to people” as much as they give to institutions. Shiny did court key individuals who would later play a large role in the campus expansion campaign many years later. Shiny also brought the McDonogh Development Office into the modern computer age. When she arrived in 1979, annual giving history was tracked on 3x5 index cards, according to John Sieverts. Seizing on a golden opportunity, she brought her husband, Bob, into the act, whereby gift tracking and other alumni data would be incorporated into a comprehensive donor database via the mainframe computers of Bob’s data processing company. Hence fundraising and alumni relations were streamlined for future success, all thanks to Shiny’s vision and dynamic leadership. After her 18-year stay at McDonogh, Shiny then brought her special skill set to Oldfields School, a private girls boarding school in Sparks Glencoe, and then Loyola College, where she worked closely with Father Joseph Sellinger for several years as a development director. From 2001 to 2005 she served on the board of Villa Julie College in Stevenson, MD. From her extensive professional network, she brought in a number of future supporters, donors and board members, thus paving the way for the school’s transformation to Stevenson University years later. Friends School, her beloved alma mater, was always close to heart, especially when her daughter, Sally Lee Evans, became a student, and then when all of Sally’s three children also attended and graduated from Friends School years later. Shiny worked closely with Byron Forbush, former Headmaster for over 30 years, helping to position the school for independent and solid financial footing. She served on several Steering Committees for capital campaigns in the 1970s all the way through to the early 2000s. As philanthropists, Shiny and Bob served as Honorary Chairs for “Setting the Stage” Campaign, culminating in the redevelopment of the Bliss Forbush Auditorium, completed in 2016. They made a major gift naming the auditorium lobby in honor of her dear friend, Gayle Latshaw, former Assistant Head of School for Development, who passed away in 2013. Current Headmaster, Matt Micciche, also received valuable counsel from Shiny, who knew the fundraising formula as well as anyone in Baltimore. Other institutions supported by Shiny and Bob Evans included McDonogh School, Johns Hopkins University, the Maryland Historical Society, and the Church of the Redeemer. Giving was part of Shiny’s DNA. Shiny also became heavily involved in the book publishing career of her son, Middleton, stepping up as marketing director for Middleton Press. With her extensive professional network, Shiny shared Middleton’s various coffee table photography books on Maryland related themes and wildlife. She also enthusiastically pitched each of the 21 editions of the “Maryland: America in Miniature” calendar series. She especially liked to attend her son’s speaking engagements and always had the biggest smile in the room. Shiny’s personal life was robust, as she was the consummate “people person.” She was delighted when her daughter, Sally Yost, moved back from Montana with her three small children nearly two decades ago, as she would now be able to spend more time with her family. There were countless visits and meals with the grandchildren, Madison, Winslow and Kiefer, all recent Friends School graduates. For 10 years she and Bob had an Eastern Shore home, Rigby Lot, near St. Michael’s. Many friends visited over the years, enjoying beautiful views of the Chesapeake Bay and great dining in Easton and St. Michael’s. They were active members of the L’Hirondelle Club in Ruxton, loved going to concerts at Pier 6 and the Myerhoff, and frequented many local restaurants, often with friends. Shiny also loved her grandpuppies, Finney and Willow, a sheltie mix and a golden retriever, who knew that a visit to grandma’s house meant endless dog biscuits and lots of hugs. Dog movies were always a hit, none more so than “My Dog Skip” and “Lassie.” Shiny was happiest when she was talking to friends, especially over lunch or dinner. She loved to connect people with mutual interests, especially when it involved the non-profits that were near and dear to her heart. She will be sorely missed. A memorial service will be held at the Church of the Redeemer on N. Charles Street in Baltimore on Saturday, February 22 at 10:30 am. All past friends and associates, including those of Bob Evans, are welcome to pay their respects. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Friends School, 5114 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21210