Otto Evans served on the Arizona for eight years, 1928-1936 His last day on the Arizona, according to his logbook, was Dec. 22, 1936.
Otto "Jobe" Evans was born October 3, 1902 in London, Kentucky. He married Ethel Miller, a school teacher, in 1929. After leaving the navy, he farmed near Lafontaine, Kansas for over twenty years. He died in Wichita, Kansas, June 17, 1970. He had no children.
I called my mom, Marjorie Evans Graham, to ask if she knew of any stories from when my great uncle was on the Arizona. She was sorry to say she did not, but she did have an interesting story related to it. She said family communications during the 1930's-40's were not like they are today. While Jobe was assigned from one ship to another during his 20 years in the Navy, his wife would move from base to base, leading a "nomadic" life. There would be long gaps of communications from them, often years. Mother said that when the USS Arizona went down at Pearl Harbor in 1941, her own family just assumed Jobe was on it because that was the last ship they recalled to which he was assigned. They were elated then, when, several days later, they received a telephone call from his wife, who was in Washington state, informing them that he was NOT on the Arizona but on the Gillis in the Aleutian Islands/Alaska.
Jobe farmed 80 acres of wheat, had dairy cows, chickens, and vegetable crops. I would spend a week or so every summer on the farm when I was a kid. Jobe still swore like a sailor, and Ethel would get on to him to clean up his language around me. He named all his milk cows, and I was so proud that there was a black Nancy Cow! He would try to teach me how to milk them, which usually upset the cows because they were used to his expert touch. While he would milk them twice a day, Aunt Ethel would stand nearby with a shovel doing Manure Patrol. It was her job to catch the falling poop before it hit the ground so it wouldn't spatter all over Jobe. I would watch her in awe, thinking that she must really love Uncle Jobe in order to do that for him!
Jobe was very well read, followed the stock market, and pinched his pennies. He had a big jar filled with coins under an ottoman in his living room. It was okay to look at them, dump them out and play with them, but they ALL had to go back in the jar at the end of the visit.
Otto Evans Memorabilia
USS Arizona Thanksgiving Menu 1936
Otto Evans in Officers List |
USS Arizona Christmas Card
Probably 1936 |
Otto Evan's USS Oklahoma Album
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