BAILEY ISLAND — Danny Evans, a well-known man who owned a boom truck and did work for local contractors and fishermen throughout the Harpswell area, died Saturday. He was 59.
It seems that everyone knew Mr. Evans. He was the guy local fishermen called to lift an engine out of a lobster boat or rig it for the shrimp season. People called him to lift fishing equipment from the docks to their boat or to deliver heavy floats to private vacation homes.
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He was the person local contractors hired to lift roof trusses and wooden beams onto houses.
“He was kind of a Renaissance man,” said lifelong friend Kevin Johnson of Bailey Island. “The guy was well read. If he wasn’t covered in hydraulic oil, he was reading a book. That was him.”
Mr. Evans was one of only a couple of people on the island who owned a crane truck. His friends said he was loyal, reliable and fair and always had a smile on his face.
“He was ridiculously fair with his prices,” said Nick Martinez of Harpswell, a longtime friend. “He did a few jobs for me. He would say give me 50 bucks. I would say I’ll give you $100.
“If someone was down on their luck, he would just do (the work). That’s the way Danny was.”
Another friend, Steve Potvin of Harpswell, said his passing leaves a hole in the community.
“He was very well-known on the island,” Potvin said. “I never ran into anyone that didn’t like him. He always had a smile. You just had to like him.”
He was a lifelong resident of Bailey Island and a founding member of the popular “Bailey Island Boys Club.” The club was located in a workshop on his property. His friends say people would gather there in the afternoon for a beer and to talk. The club had a Pepsi machine that dispensed Budweiser beer, which cost 50 cents. He kept quarters on the top of the machine for his friends.
“It was the go-to spot for fishermen. If you didn’t show up, you would get a phone call,” Johnson said.
On the morning he died, he married his girlfriend of 21 years, Diana Holcomb of Bailey Island. She remembered him Monday as a funny and laid-back guy who had a positive outlook on life.
About 11 years ago, he asked her to marry him. The couple bought rings and got a marriage license but never set a date.
Last year, Mr. Evans was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. He had surgery in October to remove the tumor and wound up with pneumonia. Less than two months ago, the doctors said there was nothing more they could do. The subject of marriage came up again and the pair decided to tie the knot. On the night before the ceremony, his health took a turn for the worse. During the wedding, she sat at his bedside, holding his hand. He squeezed her hand when asked if he wanted to marry her.
“I really wish that I would have married him long ago,” his wife said. “But you can’t go back and do things over. You have to go forward. I am very happy to say I am his wife, but I’ve always felt that. He was a good man. He was very loved.”
Staff Writer Melanie Creamer can be contacted at 791-6361 or at:
mcreamer@pressherald.com
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