Evan Chappuis

Yesterday my grandfather Evan Chappuis passed away. He was well past the age of 101 and doing very well living in his own home, sleeping in his own bed. He had around him family and friends who he could talk to when they came to visit. I am sure he enjoyed the World Series last month and was probably reading on his latest electronic book up to his last day. Evan was always trying to learn new things and never stopped. He was constantly reading history, figuring out the new tools of the world like GPS and cell phones, trying to understand our politics, and concerned with those less fortunate than him. Evan and my grandmother Juen were generous to those in need, my first memories of charity was through them and later I recognized the efforts he provided to his communities.
I have known all of my grandparents, I know that many people are not so fortunate. All of my grandparents were strong people in their special ways and taught me things from their strengths. From Evan I learned integrity and honor, a strong work ethic, and the importance of being part of my community. I could see that as a CPA people trusted him with their money and their finances, I could see that he took that trust seriously. I could see his dedication to the support of his wife and daughters and to his brothers and sisters. That dedication expanded to support his friends and community. And that community was large, it was the cities he lived in, his state of California, his nation, his ranching community, and his aviation community.  I may not have appreciated all of this immediately as I grew up, but it is obvious to me now and it should be to all who know him.
I'm sure we all appreciate the things that he did for us, the good times he was part of, the bad times he helped us through, in the accomplishments that he made in his life. He will long be remembered in our memories and in our histories.