KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — A family is mourning the loss of a fallen Knoxville soldier while honoring his service and kind heart.
On Monday, two Army specialists, including Knoxville native Specialist Jeremy Evans, were killed when an army vehicle flipped at a training area in Alaska. Twelve other soldiers were also wounded.
Evans was 23 years old. Most of his family still lives in Knoxville. They were in shock after hearing about this tragedy.
His mother, Angela Evens, said through tears, “I got to talk to him the day before the accident. He called me. We had a wonderful conversation.”
“He was so smart and sweet. He had the biggest heart and was just exceptional from birth, always was. Just amazing human being,” she added.
Evans went to Gibbs High School where he played the tuba in the band and met the love of his life.
“Sloane [Jermey’s wife] and Jeremy were high school sweethearts. So as soon as they started dating, he was immediately accepted into the family,” said Elizabeth Vogt, his mother-in-law.
Vogt said Evans was the perfect match for her daughter.
“He was a very funny and a very kind individual,” she explained. “He had a beautiful heart. He cared deeply about his family, and he was a very good friend to everybody.”
Evans’s decision to join the military continued the family tradition of serving our country.
“I was surprised that he wanted to go into the Army because I never thought he would, even though he comes from a military family. Mom was a dental tech in the Navy, I was a crypto tech. I retired in 95, and then his uncle Rob was a marine,” said his grandfather, Robert Beck.
“One of the things he told us when he went to the army was, I came into the army because I want to defend our country, and he did that, and I applaud him for that.”
Robert Beck, Grandfather
Evans was a soldier who served until his final day. Beck said his grandson’s favorite pastimes were fishing and playing video games.
Funeral arrangements have not yet been made.
