Evone Esther Baas
February 15, 1932 – December 4, 2018 Resident of San Jose
Evone Esther Baas passed away peacefully Tuesday December 4 in San Jose, CA after a long battle with lung disease and cancer. She was 86.
Evone Esther Mertle Baas was born February 15, 1932 in Bloomer, WI. After moving to Iowa and then Fort Bragg, CA, her family settled in Healdsburg, CA. She graduated from Healdsburg High School in 1949. After graduation, she joined one of her many friends from Healdsburg High to move to San Diego, where she met and fell in love with sailor John Baas. They married in 1954.
After John’s tour of duty in the Navy ended, the young family moved to San Jose where John attended San Jose State. After his graduation, the family, now with three (later four) children, bought a home and settled in San Jose. Evone resided in her Cambrian Park home for 59 years.
After her children were grown, Evone worked as a sales associate at Mervyn’s and Macy’s. She used that experience after being widowed to volunteer at Price Charming, the thrift store benefiting Hospice of the Valley, and later the Happy Dragon, the thrift store benefiting EMQ Families First/Uplift Family Services.
Evone was predeceased by her husband John and sister Jeanette Carstensen of Petaluma. She is survived by children Mary Jo Kochly (Steve) of Fremont, John Baas of Atascadero, Sue Di Vita Huntingdon (Michael) of San Jose, and Richard Baas (Lorena) of San Dimas. She has four grandchildren: Matthew Di Vita of New York, David Kochly of Alameda, Laura Martinez (Tony) of San Jose, and John Kochly of Decatur, GA; she also has four stepgrandchildren: Joanna Hopkins (Kevin) of Avon, CO, Sabrina Davis (Parrish) of San Pablo, CA , Magen Waldron (Kurt) of Charlotte, NC , and Sheldon Huntingdon of Antioch, CA. She also has five great-grandchildren.
She was the rock for our family and her loving presence will be missed by all.
A funeral mass will be held Friday December 14 at 11am at St. Francis Cabrini Catholic Church, 15333 Woodard Road, San Jose. Burial to follow at Los Gatos Memorial Park, 2255 Los Gatos-Almaden Road, San Jose.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made American Cancer Society. to the