She was born Molly Morton on May 14, 1934 to Geer and Clara Morton at the old Miles Hospital in downtown Damariscotta. Her parents owned property on what was called then the Indian Trail, off the Sheepscott Road in Newcastle. She spent her childhood in the farm house there that dated to the late 1600s and often spoke of her life on the farm with her parents, her younger brother Geer Jr., and older brother Rufus Short, a series of dogs, a dairy cow, and at least one pig named Phoebe. During WWII her father was employed by Bath Iron Works.
Her parents sold the property in 1948 and there followed brief stays in Florida and California. They returned to Maine and settled in Brunswick where Molly attended high school. She graduated from Brunswick High School with the class of 1952.
Her mother’s asthma condition prompted her parents to seek a drier climate and a decision was made to relocate to Denver. Molly went with them. While there she worked at various part-time jobs and completed two years at the University of Denver. She also took up skiing, a sport which she came to love and which she enjoyed for the rest of her life.
In March of 1956 she took a fulltime job at the Bank of Denver. While working there she met a young man from the auditing department, David Evans, and after dating for close to a year they were married in October of 1957. With their new daughter Jennifer, they moved to San Francisco in August of 1958.
Her experience in Denver helped her secure a job with the Bank of America for which she was employed for the rest of her working life. She was careful in her career decisions to avoid operations when possible and hold out for lending training and programs as they became available. By doing so, she was in a position to be one of the first women promoted to branch manager.
Throughout her long career she became a vice president and senior loan administrator not only in San Francisco but also in San Jose and throughout the Bay Area. She and David, also a Bank of America employee in the data processing field, lived in Palo Alto, Cal. for 31 years and raised four daughters. Molly retired in May of 1996.
Molly enjoyed visiting Maine and did so often during her working years and after retirement. In 1986 she and David and her brother Rufus built a cottage on Pemaquid Point which they share during the summer. In order to spend more time, the Evanses also have a property in Nobleboro. While at the Point, Molly became active in the property association which she has served as treasurer and president.
In 2003 the Evanses built a home in the Sierra Foothills about three hours east of San Francisco, near the town of Murphys, Cal. Molly enjoyed watching the deer, quail and jack rabbits that visited the yard almost daily.
During the last three years of her life Molly suffered from Alzheimer’s disease but through it all kept her kind, friendly disposition and was a pleasure to be near. It was at this point that she died, peacefully, in her favorite chair on June 8.
She is survived by her husband, David Evans of Murphys, Cal.; daughters, Jennifer Simmons, Jessica Berry, and Andrea Mensick, all of Palo Alto, Cal., and Sarah Woolley of Rosalia, Wash.; brothers, Rufus Short of Columbus, Ohio, and Geer Morton Jr. of San Diego, Cal. and Lubec; nine grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
