Evan Scott Laws

Who's bringing the beer?
My side of the family does not do much if any drinking. In fact, my parents don't drink at all and Evan was well aware of this. One year Evan and I went to Walmart to pick up what we needed to bring to our family Christmas. I called his Grandma to ask her a question. Evan had a really unique, fun sense of humor. He grabbed the cell phone from me and asked her whether we were suppose to pick up the beer. From that day on, that was their private joke and periodically I would catch one of them discussing who was suppose to bring the beer.

Evan and Bob
Evan has a friend named Bob that has a very unique personality just like Evan did. You really didn't want Evan and Bob to get bored when they were together because you had no idea what the 2 would come up with. One day at Bob's house they decided to make a movie of themselves being sumo wrestlers!!! (Both boys stood about 5'7" and weighed about 140-145.) Another time, they were at my house and Shannon was video taping them after I went to bed. You can imagine my surprise when I was watching this particular video after the accident and got mooned by both boys!! Another time, they tied a rope to an empty 20 oz. plastic Coke bottle and Evan held the rope out the window all the way from Bob's house to his Dad's house, dragging the Coke bottle behind them. (About 3 miles.) Just a few days before the accident, they were at Evan's dads house. They filled up an ice cube tray with water and added something to each section. One section had a Simpson toy another section had a penny, etc.

Evan was at our house so much that at times I would tease him by telling him I was going to claim him on my taxes. He called me Mom, never anything but Mom. He was quick with a hug & a smile to say hello & goodbye.

Evan was like one of my own kids. There was many mornings that I'd go downstairs, turn on the light & see Evan sacked out on my couch. I even did his laundry at times. He & Bob shared a lot of clothes & I'd often ask Bob where a particular shirt was & he'd say, "Oh, Evan liked it & he wore it to school."

I remember getting up one morning & couldn't find Evan, Bob & Tommy. I went outside to find them all huddled under blankets on the trampoline. The looked like they'd been up all night.

My parents got a kick out of Evan. Whenever Bob took him down to their house, he'd hug Mom & call her Grandma. He & Bob had so much fun camping in the woods.

Sometimes I felt like Bob was Evan's personal chauffer. He was always running him here & there. When Evan went to summer school, he'd call Bob to pick him up. Once he called & siad he needed to get out of there. (School wasn't over for another hour or so.) Bob told him he needed to stay until school was over.

I remember Bob telling me how one of Evan's old girlfriends was "stalking" him. They'd park a block away from Evan's house & climb over fences to come in from the back undetected.

Dick & I sponsored Bob & Evan on a Tec - Teens Encounter Christ. When I asked Evan if he wanted to go, he said yes immediately. Dick was on the team too. I took the boys out to North Campus & they were totally pumped. I went out there Saturday night to surprise them. Dick, Angie & I wrote Evan a letter & my Mom wrote Evan a letter too. They were so excited when they came home. They told me they were going to go out to the mall, put on their crosses, hug people & tell them about Jesus. I told them it was a nice thought but people might think they were nuts! After TEC, I had to take Evan & Bob to Hobby Lobby to buy some "cool" beads to make necklaces for their crosses. I think we looked at every type of bead before they finally made up their minds. They came right home & started to work on them.

Bob & Evan doubled dated for the prom when Bob was a senior & Evan was a junior. They brought the girls out here & I took pictures on the deck. They looked so cute - their shirts were the same - Bob in blue & Evan in red. Their ties were the same pattern - Bob's was blue, black & tan & Evan's was red, black & tan. I ironed their shirts so they'd look nice.

Bob loved going over to Don's house. He & Evan were into making models & Bob is pretty proud of their collection. He said that after Evan died, he made up his mind to finish all the models they had started.

We got a siamese kitty in May 2005. Bob named him Jackie Chan - Jack for short. Evan fell in love with Jack the first time he saw him. Every time he left my house, he'd try to smuggle Jack out under his shirt or jacket. I'd say, "Evan you're not going anywhere with my kitty, hand him over." Evan would put him down & laugh.

Evan & Bob were always hungry. Evan would always say yes when I asked him if he wanted to stay for supper. I never had a problem getting him to clean his plate.

Evan & Bob loved to go swimming at Wavering & check out the "chicks". They liked to walk around our neighborhood at night & talk. They were like brothers. They'd buy each other stupid presents like black barbie dolls.

Bob lost his best friend when he lost Evan. He cried for a long time, wishing he could have changed things. He felt honored to be a pallbearer for Evan but I knew it was one of the hardest things he has ever had to do. After everybody left the funeral home after Evan's visitation, Bob, Evan Klauser, Tommy, Caleb & Josh stayed & cried by Evan for 45 minutes saying their goodbyes.

The morning of the funeral I took pictures of the boys in their pink shirts. They said they wore pink because it was Evan's favorite color. They looked so handsome & so serious & sad. I know Evan was looking down from Heaven on his buddies with a big smile.

I will always remember Evan as a fun-loving, big-hearted, loving boy who was like a second son to me. I thank God for the time we got to spend with Evan & get to know him. We know that some day we will see him again & I look forward to having him introduce me to all his new friends in Heaven.

Evan the Tumbler
Evan went to the Quincy Gymnastics Center in Quincy, IL and took gymnastics. He was invited (along with his sister) to be on their tumbling team. Being on the tumbling team meant that he went to tumbling meets including the state and possibly the national meet. When you went to the national tumbling meet, if you placed in the top 10, you had to move up to the next level. The first year that they went to state (1997), that was not a problem but the second year (1998) he did not feel that he was ready to move up to the next level. So, instead of talking to us about it and possibly not going to the national meet, he decided to do the worst that he could possibly do so that he would not have to move up. He got 10th!!! That was the last that he competed in tumbling meets. He continued to tumble but did not go to the gym or compete. When he tumbled, he tumbled off of things. You know, things like cars, houses, tall slides, etc. What a character!!!