Kathleen “Kathy” Evans worked for JUF in many capacities in 41 years. Born in 1946 in Oak Park, she died on June 11 at 73 in Harwood Heights.

Evans joined JUF in 1978 as a Clerk Typist in JUF News . Over the years, she held several positions, including Operations Manager, Website Data Manager, and the Managing Editor for the Guide to Jewish Living in Chicago . Evans also served as a chief union steward and was a notary public.

“Kathy’s contributions to JUF were extraordinary,” said Aaron B. Cohen, JUF’s Senior Communications Advisor and Evans’ longtime colleague and friend. “When I arrived at JUF in 1994, this woman with penetrating blue eyes took me under her wing. As my assistant for the next 18 years, she kept me focused, entertained, and inspired.”

While Evans struggled with multiple illnesses for many years, “what defined her was not disease but rather love and compassion, determination and stamina, and abiding interest in people and the human spirit,” Cohen said.

In 2011, Evans became a part-time Residential Manager at CJE SeniorLife at the Robineau Residence. Three years later, she returned to JUF as a Central Files Associate and worked in that role until her retirement in 2019.

“She input almost one million documents into JUF’s records system even as her health continued to decline,” recalled Rabbi Louis Lazovsky, JUF’s Vice President of Human Resources.

“We all remember Kathy as larger than life, with her flaming red hair and infectious laugh,” Lazovsky continued. “Kathy had abundant common sense. She knew every employee and everything going on in their lives, as Chief Union Steward of the SEIU Local 73. People gravitated to her because of her warm and giving nature.”

While not Jewish herself, Evans’ long tenure at JUF gave her an appreciation for Jewish culture. Rabbi Mordecai Simon, the Executive Vice President of the Chicago Board of Rabbis at the time, even gave her the Hebrew name of Keturah – Abraham’s wife after Sarah’s death.

“Kathy regularly attended events at my synagogue, Congregation Kesser Maariv,” Lazovsky said, “and was friends with most of our congregants. She was like a member of our family. My daughter called her Aunt Kathy.”

Evans held an eclectic array of interests. She rescued greyhounds, about which she said, “Who’s rescuing who?” She created the Local 73’s website and helped create JUF’s. Evans also published several books, was a certified sommelier, and won prizes for her cross-stitching. She was an active member of The Red Hat Society, and enjoyed photography, gardening, traveling, and attending concerts and motorcycle rallies.

Evans was survived by many cousins, nieces, and nephews. She was predeceased by her parents, Edward and Mary Evans, her brothers, Edward and Dennis, and her beloved husband, Tom Mazur. A memorial service was held earlier this summer, and her cremation was arranged by Cumberland Chapels in Norridge, Ill. Memorial contributions to REGAP (Retired Greyhounds As Pets) in Mendotta, Ill.

Read Evans’ longtime friend and colleague Aaron B. Cohen’s reflection on Evans’ retirement in 2011.