Longtime Rapid City orthodontist, American Legion Post 22 baseball coach and beloved family man, James Arthur "Pev" Evans died peacefully on September 10, 2023 at age 90. He was born June 7, 1933, in Rapid City, South Dakota, a 4th-generation Black Hills resident. A man whose generosity of spirit and relentless optimism buoyed the lives of countless individuals he treated, coached, cared for and encouraged, Jim left an indelible influence on his hometown and beyond.

The oldest of three children, Jim was a standout athlete, playing football, basketball and baseball. A state football star at Rapid City High School, he graduated in 1951 and went to the University of Nebraska on a football scholarship. There he met his wife, Jane, whom he married the day before graduation in 1956. After a one-night honeymoon, they hurried back to Rapid City so he could start coaching American Legion baseball the next day, a pursuit he continued over 44 seasons. On his own and alongside head coach Dave Ploof, he helped the team reach 18 consecutive state titles and a national title in 1993. In 2013, he was inducted into the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame.

A fierce competitor who saw sports as a means to build confidence as well as humility, Jim was eager to help develop young athletes, instilling traits that would enhance all aspects of life. He started out teaching P.E. in Rapid City elementary schools, but a seed planted by a teacher years earlier, who mentioned dentistry as a career option, had taken root. Jim enrolled in pre-dental coursework at Black Hills State. Meanwhile, three children were born: Bruce in 1957, Lori in 1958, and Brad in 1959. In 1960, the family moved to Chicago where Jim went to dental school at Loyola University. After graduating in 1964, he completed a two-year specialty in orthodontics, inspired by the way a changed smile could improve a child's self-esteem. And thus began a career that transformed not just the teeth but the lives of thousands of kids.

After beginning his career in Illinois, Jim returned to practice in Rapid City in 1969. In 1977, he opened his own private practice, Evans Orthodontics. He sought to expand the availability of orthodontic care, developing 12 satellite offices in South Dakota, Nebraska and Wyoming during the 1980s. He loved being part of an enterprise where people left feeling better about themselves than when they walked in. He felt like he was changing lives, and always found a way to make it work for patients who might not have otherwise had the opportunity. His sons saw the joy their father's work brought him and both were inspired to leave their physician jobs to become orthodontists, with Bruce joining the practice in 1991 and Brad 10 years later. Jim practiced orthodontics for more than 50 years and was a world-class leader in the field, mentoring dozens of younger orthodontists, including his sons, and earning a global reputation for progressive techniques. He lectured worldwide, and more than 300 orthodontists have come to Rapid City to learn his treatment methods.

Inside the clinic, it was a light-hearted atmosphere, as "Dr. E" and his staff sought to make braces fun. He would untie his patient's shoelaces or use the water dispenser to squirt the kid in the next chair. Sometimes, he would take a patient out to the parking lot for an impromptu lesson in hitting a baseball. He brought the same levity to dental offices, stopping in to talk about his practice as he delivered "broccoli" – which was actually ice cream and cookies.

Jim took tremendous pride in his hometown and family history and loved taking drives in the hills, sharing their beauty and heritage with guests and grandkids alike. In the early 1970s, the family took up skiing and spent many seasons at Terry Peak. Snowmobiling became a new pastime, too, and he went on to ride countless miles with family and friends on Black Hills trails. Once he retired, he became a regular at the poker table in Deadwood. He loved the challenge of cards and often came away a winner, yet the real reward was all the laughter he had with his poker-playing pals.

Jim also loved Hawaii. In the early 1980s, he met an orthodontist who invited him to buy into a place in Kona, which became a sanctuary to relax and recharge. He bonded with the friendly people brimming with the spirit of aloha. And he exuded it, too, playing pickup basketball on public courts with the locals, chatting up shave ice vendors and groundskeepers, and inviting his instant friends over for dinner on the spot. Jim loved to host, and he and Jane welcomed hundreds of guests to Hawaii, including memorable office staff trips. Anyone touched by Jim's lavish generosity knew that people mattered to him more than anything.

Family members were the greatest beneficiaries of his exuberant love. His family was his world, and his grandchildren the center of it. He told them daily how he loved them, how proud he was of them, how he would help them pursue any dream. A kid at heart, he would take them to Flintstones Village, on a ride for ice cream or to see the donkeys in Custer State Park, driving them around in his convertible while sounding the musical horn and belting out his favorite songs, and opening up their worlds to travel far beyond South Dakota.

Jim had an ebullient personality and wanted the best for everyone around him. He wore shorts year-round, drank beer with a straw, and had an outlook on life that brought him lots of good luck, often finding front-row parking spots everywhere he went. He had a mindset of blind optimism and generous abundance, and everyone he encountered was blessed by it.

Jim frequently had dreams where he was soaring over the Black Hills. Not long before he died, he mentioned that he hadn't had a flying dream in a while and he was ready to fly again. Just after he passed on, his family spotted a rare bald eagle circling over his Rapid City home.

Jim is survived by his wife, Jane Campbell Evans, sons Bruce (Shelly) Evans and Brad (Brenna) Evans; daughter Lori (Devin) Evans Pesicka, eight grandchildren: Brady, Andrew and Samuel Evans; Rowan and Oona Evans; Hannah (Blake) Pesicka Besler, Tessa and Paige Pesicka, and brother Chuck (Evonne) Evans. He was pre-deceased by his sister, Mary Evans Holleman.

A Celebration of Life is planned for December 29, 2023 at 3 PM at Rushmore Plaza Holiday Inn. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Jim's scholar/athlete award fund. Inaugurated in 1987, the award is given annually to an 8th grade girl and boy student from each of 23 area middle schools who excel in academics and athletics. Please make checks payable to the Dr. James "Pev" Evans Scholarship Fund. Mail or drop off at Evans Orthodontics, 600 Dakota Drive, Rapid City, SD 57702. Thank you.