Obituary: Evan 'Smokey' Burgess

Evan “Smokey” Burgess

Evan “Smokey” Burgess

Evan “Smokey” Burgess passed away at home in Chino Valley, Arizona, on Jan. 16, 2021. Evan Stephen Burgess was born in Eagar, Arizona, to Lorenzo Burgess and Arvilla (Hamblin, Burgess) Flake on Aug. 31, 1937. He had two sisters, Shirley Pierce and Merla Earnshaw, and two brothers, Tom Burgess and Marlan Burgess.

The family moved between mostly Cottonwood and Prescott with his mother and stepfather, LaVon Flake. He spent summers with his father in Bellemont, Arizona. While in high school he would cowboy for Babbitt Ranch or deliver milk for the Haymore Dairy, in Prescott. He attended Prescott High School and then enlisted in the Arizona National Guard. From there he enlisted in the United States Navy, where he was stationed to an aircraft carrier called the USS Kearsarge. Anchored in San Francisco, San Diego, Hawaii and Japan, where he was on the bridge decoding messages. After his Honorable Discharge he returned to Arizona and started working at the Forest Service, where they moved him to Crown King. There he met his wife, Maxine (Sabin) Burgess, and married in 1962, later had two daughters. The Forest Service had him moving to Prescott, Safford, then back to Prescott again. He retired from the Forest Service and he and Maxine bought A-Able Answering Service, serving Prescott until 1990.

He had a true love of the state of Arizona, even his parents and grandparents were born in Arizona before it became a state. He was proud to be a Prescottonian. He loved the outdoors, from the desert to the forest. He liked to hike, camp and shoot, but his biggest love was his family. His true smiles came out when his beloved grandchildren were around.

He is survived by his now ex-wife but friend, Maxine Burgess; daughters, Kathleen Anderson and Karen (Mark) McClellan; grandchildren, Brandon (Allison) Anderson, Kristine (Joe) Meggenberg, Carissa (John) Bethea, Jerica (Ethan) Orsburn and Jeremy McClellan; seven great-granddaughters and one great-grandson; and his sister, Merla Earnshaw and her children.

Information was provided by the family.


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