The regional Rotary Club council of which he was a member said that he died Monday while on vacation in Peru.
Don was a graduate of Harvard Business School. He established DJE Holdings Ltd. in 1998 following his retirement after 31 corporate years in the telecommunications industry.
He was President Emeritus of the West Coast Railway Association and a Director of the Heritage Railway Association, formerly the Association of Tourist Railways and Railway Museums. The West Coast Railway Association is hosting the Heritage Railway Association annual meeting this September.
He was awarded a Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002 for his community service and the Caring Canadian Award which was presented in 2016 by the Governor General of Canada.
A celebration of life will be announced later.
Very sad indeed. I’ve worked with him for years and just recently talked with him at some length at the HRA conference in Sacramento last month. He was an impressive person and a great asset for the tourist railroad/rail museum industry.
Had the great pleasure to meet Don for the first time back in 2013. I thoroughly enjoyed his presentation and also his guidance — given informally and with purpose. He was an impressive person.
Don’s death is a huge loss to to the railway preservation movement. I worked with him on the Association of Railway Museums (ARM) board, during the extended process that led to the merger of ARM with the Tourist Railroad Association (in which Don played a critical role), and later on the resulting Heritage Rail Alliance board. He had great skills as a facilitator in organizational planning and development which he frequently shared in the railway preservation community. He was also one of the finest and most generous human beings I have know. I, and we, will miss him.
Very sad to hear. I went to elementary school with Don.
I had the pleasure to serve with Don on the Board of Directors of the Association of Railway Museums (one of the predecessors of Association of Tourist Railways and Railway Museums). In retirement from the telecommunications industry he served as a planning meeting facilitator for a number of railway preservation organizations as well a number of other organizations. He will be missed.
This is very sad news. I met Don Evans in 2015 on Via’s “Skeena” run with a tour group he was hosting. I admired his passion for preservation. Rest In Piece Don. Thoughts and prayers for his family and fellow enthusiasts.