Memorial service for Len Evans will be held on Sunday
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
We need your support!
Local journalism needs your support!
As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed.
Now, more than ever, we need your support.
Starting at $15.99 plus taxes every four weeks you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website.
Subscribe Nowor call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527.
Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community!
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Brandon Sun access to your Free Press subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on brandonsun.com
- Read the Brandon Sun E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
*Your next Free Press subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $20.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/04/2016 (3785 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The family of former Brandon East NDP MLA Len Evans has invited the public to a memorial service at the Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium this Sunday.
Evans died suddenly on Jan. 2 after suffering a heart attack. He was 86.
“He was our dad, but he really belonged to the community,” Evans’ daughter Janet said from her home in Ottawa. “There was such a huge outpouring of appreciation when he died from the public that we really felt it was important to have everybody included.”
First elected in 1969, Evans served as a member of the Manitoba legislature for 30 years and is credited for expanding Brandon’s city boundaries and the construction of both the First Street bridge and the Keystone Centre.
While in office he held many cabinet portfolios including Industry and Commerce, Mines and Natural Resources and Community Services.
Evans is remembered by many as a dedicated champion for Brandon.
The April 10 memorial service will begin at 2 p.m. and Brandon East NDP candidate Drew Caldwell will act as the master of ceremonies.
The program is set to include a multimedia presentation about Evans’ life and legacy, as well as messages from the family, former premier Ed Schreyer, former ambassador to the United States Gary Doer and former attorney general Al Mackling. Janet says NDP Leader Greg Selinger will try to make it to the service.
Refreshments are to follow.
The family chose to hold the memorial at the WMCA to accommodate the large crowd that is expected to attend.
“We didn’t think that there was anywhere else that would hold the number of people that we anticipate,” Janet said, adding that the public memorial for Brandon activist Errol Black was also held at the auditorium.
Janet and her siblings, Randall and Brenda, have been struggling to come to terms with their father’s sudden passing.
“It was really hard for us to organize this because we’re still feeling really raw — he died so unexpectedly,” Janet said, adding that her mother, Alice, died only six months earlier. “It’s taken us this long just to be able to do it.”
A scholarship fund has been set up at Brandon University in memory of Evans — who was a faculty member in BU’s department of economics before stepping into politics.
Donations for the Len Evans scholarship fund are being accepted at the university. Cheques should be made payable to “Brandon University Foundation” and can be sent to the Brandon University Foundation at 270 18th Street, Brandon MB, R7A 6A9.
» ewasney@brandonsun.com
» Twitter: @evawasney