Sonja Jeanne Evenson - Jeanne, as she preferred to go by - was the greatest gift her parent’s Glen and LaVerne Pugh of Mclean, Texas ever received; at least that’s what she said. Dixie, Sharyn, Kitty, and Toy followed her into this world and there was no one more excited to have younger siblings to boss around than Jeanne. The family made their way up north and landed on the Tongue River where they made their lives on a ranch.
When she made it to Colstrip High School, she was already known for being a mischief maker in town. She once waited for the superintendent of the school district to leave town one night to painstakingly paint all the light bulbs red as a prank. Everything Jeanne did was in the name of good fun and good laughs.
Her bright personality and pretty face caught the eye of Berniel Evenson. He couldn’t resist the sparkle she held. Once the two got together they stayed with one another. When it was time to plan for the future, Berniel asked for her hand and he was told that they could marry as long as she could go to college. She graduated High School one weekend and got married the next, ready for the next adventure.
They moved to Cody, Wyoming, where their daughter Tara would be born. Berniel joined the Air Force, and this led to a change in location as well. The trio moved to Spokane, Washington and with the birth of son Troy, the family was complete.
The family then transferred to Tucson, Arizona, where Jeanne started working on her degree in education while raising a small family. With tenacity and taking on multiple big projects at once, they were packing up and moving to Great Falls, Montana. She finished her degree and started teaching at East Junior High School. She soon decided that although she had a passion for teaching, red tape and limits that were placed on her made it difficult to make the impact she was hoping for.
In 1978, Jeanne and Berniel founded their company and third baby B-J Pac-A-Part. This is where she discovered a passion that lasted the rest of her life. The customers and connections that she made were lifelong too. It was remarkable the way she would walk into the doors of those businesses, purple pen in her pocket, metal clipboard in hand and a fresh new dirty joke to share. You would see people’s faces light up with pure joy. Every person she knew was excited to see her, hear the latest tales and laugh along with her.
Jeanne loved the freedom owning a business with her husband brought to her family. They were able to make time for hunting, fishing, snowmobiling and telling tales. She loved going to see her son Troy compete in motocross tournaments and loved to brag about how great he was. Her daughter Tara was often copilot on the road for Pac-A-Part going across the state from gas stations and auto shops.
Jeanne Evenson did her very best to make mischief, bring laughter and joy, and let those of us she loved know how lucky we were to be loved by her. She is survived by her husband Berniel Evenson, daughter Tara Harper, son Troy Evenson, son in law Phillip Harper, daughter in law Mary Evenson, granddaughters Khindra Lopez and Makayla Harper, and of course her sisters Sharyn, Kitty, and Toy.
To read the complete obituary and share condolences, click here to visit the Croxford Funeral Home website.
