Valley Springs, CA…Frederick Eugene Evans age 84 past away on July 20 2020 at Mark Twain Saint Joseph Hospital of natural causes . He was born May 24 1936 in a tar paper shack at his grand parents farm on the Moseley Prairie in Oklahoma out side of Siloam Springs AR. to Leslie B. Evans & Mildred C. Evans as there first child. Frederick spent his early life going to school, working the family farm and doing odd jobs every thing from bucking hay to picking cherries. He said he was good at bucking hay but very bad at picking cherries. During droughts his father would pack up the family and move to were ever there was work, which eventually led him to Ceres Ca. where he graduated high school in 1953.

Frederick worked his first fire season that summer as a seasonal fire fighter for the California Division of Forestry what is now Cal Fire at Murphy’s Forest Fire station . He then joined the army in 1954 and spent his first year in Korea. After spending three years in the service he was honorably discharged from the Army in 1957. Frederick started higher education at Northeastern State College Oklahoma, in 1958 he transferred to Modesto JC were he acquired his Associates Arts Degree in 1959. That summer he returned to being a seasonal fire fighter and during the winters went back to school at Northeastern State. In 1962 Frederick received a job as a Forest Fire Truck Driver / Engineer at West Point Station and decided that he was a better fire fighter than a student and a lot better at it than picking cherries so he dropped out of college and dedicated his life to that occupation.

On December 19 1965 while working as a Fire Truck Driver for CDF he married the love of his life a fiery Mexican with an iron will named Margarita Gonzales. They had three children and a loving marriage until her passing on March 6 2005. In 1965 he was promoted to Forest Fire Fighter Foreman / Captain at San Andreas Station.

Throughout his early career Frederick received a reputation as a very aggressive fire fighter with a strong belief in fighting fire with fire, and when ever viable he use that tactic. By the time of his appointment to State Forest Ranger 1 Battalion Cheif in 1981 he had acquired two nicknames Fire Out Freddie and the more commonly known Drip Torch Freddie. From 1981 to 1982 he was in charge of the Emergency Command Center for the Tuolumne – Calaveras Ranger Unit . Frederick returned to the field in 1982 in charge of Battalion 1 the San Andreas Battalion.

Frederick was always proud of the men he worked with and believed that the Tuolumne – Calaveras Ranger Unite was the best fire fighting unit in the state. When ever taking Strike Teams out of county he always tried to prove it by taking the most demanding assignments .

He did a lot of different projects while working for CDF from building a rock wall at West Point Station to building a radio tower at San Andreas station.

Frederick lead by example by walking fire lines and even packing hose until his retirement in 1992. At the time of his retirement in 1992 he was one of the most respected firemen in the state.

He was a man who loved his work and spent summers fighting fire while Margarita raised the kids in Valley Springs.

After his retirement Fred and Margarita spent a lot of time together even going on road trips to Alaska, Oklahoma and Tennessee.

He was a avid deer hunter when he wasn’t fighting fire in the fall he was hunting deer with friends that liked to hike the hills and mountains like him. He loved deep sea fishing spent two weeks a year fishing off the north coast of California mostly out of Albion even though he got sea sick regularly .

Was a huge high school football fan went to games from his senior year of high school when he fist learned to play to the last years of his life.

In his later years he be came a fan of local oval track racing traveling from Madera to Roseville but watched most of the races at Stockton 99 speedway. He regularly donated every thing from tires to tool for a few different race teams.

He attended retirement breakfasts every month with his friends up in Angles Camp.

Frederick Eugene Evans was preceded in death by his wife Margarita Evans Valley Springs CA, sister Carol Thomson Mission TX., father Leslie B. Evans and mother Mildred C. Evans Siloam Springs OK.

He is survived by sons Michael John Evans Grovetown GA. Mitchell James Evans Valley Springs CA. daughter Melisa Julian Millwood Grovetown GA. , granddaughter Angelica Meadows Cullman AL. grandson Sean Millwood Grovetown GA. He has six brother in-laws and five sister in-laws and a lot of nieces and nephews.

Frederick was a very kind and generous man who was always willing to help out his family, friends, and neighbors.

He will be sorely missed by his family and friends.

Do to the virus restrictions we will be unable to have a memorial for our father at this time. We are planning on having a dinner and remembrance for him at the end of January up at the Calaveras County fair grounds. I will need the number of people who would like to attend in order to meet guidelines. Any one wanting to attend please email me names address’s and number of people to calaveras62@hotmail.com