In Memory of Evan DeBock
- CARAruns
- 4 hours ago
- 5 min read
It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of Evan DeBock. Evan was a beloved husband, son, brother, friend, and staff member of the Chicago Area Runners Association. Evan passed away on August 21 at the age of 28.
His reach and impact were immense. Evan started his professional career with CARA straight out of college over four years ago. He quickly made his mark as our Charity and Sponsorship Manager. He was responsible for doubling our charity team of runners for the Chicago Marathon, and adding charity teams for the New York City Marathon, the LA Marathon, and Chicago 13.1. He presided over CARA’s first capital campaign and successfully launched a campaign by CARA to improve park district infrastructure for the first time in many years. Evan has recruited and managed hundreds of volunteers every year at our events and races and worked with our sponsors to provide unforgettable participant experiences.
In addition to his work within the CARA community, Evan worked with 50 Chicago Charities that rely on CARA to provide marathon training for their runners. The personal relationships that Evan naturally formed with the leaders of organizations throughout Chicago have created a lasting network of support among Chicago's most important non-profits.
He was deeply rooted in CARA’s mission and worked tirelessly to support and grow our free community-based programs. He never stopped looking for original ways to support our hydration stations, enhance our ‘Go Run program, and provide resources for our weekly run crews. He worked hand in hand with the entire staff and provided cohesion among the many facets of CARA.
Evan will be remembered for the caring, kind, and fun-loving person he was to everyone around him. As part of the small and mighty crew that makes up the CARA staff, that truly is a family, his presence, humor, and laughter will be deeply missed by us all.
Our deepest condolences to his family and the CARA community that had the absolute pleasure of knowing him. We will forever cherish all the memories and the huge impact Evan had on the running and non-profit industries.
Tim Bradley: CARA Executive Director
Evan was a great stabilizing force to CARA with all the roles he played and the impact he had across multiple areas within the organization over the last 4+ years. Evan’s impact will be felt for years to come, and he will always be part of CARA.
Evan was an avid Cubs and Bears fan, and I loved talking about sports with him, whether it was those hometown teams or other topics around the wide world of sports. We always enjoyed putting our office brackets together come NCAA tournament time.
Dominque Sabbs: CARA Senior Manager of Community Development, 'Go Run™, & Run Crew Programs
I will truly miss cracking jokes with Evan. We would poke fun at one another and share jokes that he and I only understood at times. I couldn't have asked for a better person to work with for Team Cara ‘Go Run and community-based projects. He was very passionate and straightforward about the missions he loved. Even though I won't be able to create more memories with him, I have enough to reminisce on and smile randomly about. Evan isn't someone you could or would want to forget about. He will stay living in my heart and I will make sure his projects are completed in honor of his dedication to his work.
Brittney Burmester: CARA Manager of Marketing & Communications
Having started at CARA just a couple months after Evan, and sharing an office with him, he quickly became someone I genuinely looked forward to seeing every day. I can still play back all the stories we would share and the jokes we would crack. While our event days were long, the amount of fun we had at each one was undeniable. I will truly miss his humor, laughter, and presence, but I will always remember those things thanks to the impact he had on me. I am so grateful to have met him and to have had such an amazing person in my life.
James Diamond: CARA Manager of Coaching & Training
Evan had a unique mix of passion and calmness that is hard to find in people. Even when things went wrong or tensions were high, he had an ability to stay calm and ground the people around him. It stemmed from his sense of humor and strong perspective of what’s most important in life.
Evan was loved so much by the people around him. Working with non-profits was his way of sharing some of that love with the world. He made an incredible impact with an influence reaching far beyond the running community, but every charity he worked with along the way. There is no shortage of friends I’ve made outside of CARA who knew Evan due to his work with the local charities, partners, and clubs. Evan made every moment count. He left behind an amazing legacy that will be felt for years to come.
Christopher Shinsako: CARA Manager of Operations & Logistics, Event Support, & Hydration Station Program
From the time I spent working alongside Evan, I came to know him as a levelheaded and thoughtful colleague. His passion for his work was evident in the care and dedication he brought to it each day through his interactions with everyone he interacted with. Evan was approachable, easy to get along with and a pleasure to be around. Although I did not know him as well as others, I feel fortunate to have known him and will remember him with great respect.
Elise Awwad: CARA Board Member
Evan was one of those people whose character came through in everything he did. He was kind, funny, dedicated, and caring, both about the work he took on and, even more importantly, the people around him.
He brought a genuine sense of commitment and humanity to CARA, and you always knew that he cared about getting things right and about the people he was doing the work for. His humor and warmth made him an absolute joy to be around. I feel fortunate to have known him and to have witnessed the kind of person he was. He will be deeply missed.
What I will remember most about Evan is how much he cared about people, his work, and our running community. He was kind, funny, dedicated, and fiercely committed to CARA. There was a genuineness to Evan that you felt immediately. No matter what, you knew his heart was in everything he worked on. I feel very fortunate to have known him and to have worked with him as a board member.
Darren DeMatoff: CARA Board Member
I feel extremely lucky and privileged to have worked closely with Evan. From his early days at CARA we met regularly to brainstorm ideas and create new projects. He was set on transforming the conversation, from CARA simply offering programs for paid participants, to bring all the community work we do front and center. He never wavered from his stand or let anything (including his illness) get in his way. His approach was no nonsense, thought out and thorough. He came up with a plan, outlined the necessary steps and created the timeline to reach the finish line. He was an inspiration.
Evan never took himself too seriously, didn’t engage in workplace drama, was always happy to help others, and didn’t stop until the job was done. He was cool as a cucumber. I learned a great deal working with Evan and watching him work. He has forever changed the face of CARA, and for that I am grateful. I will miss him deeply.
Memorial gifts may be directed to Camp Kesem, 440 N Barranca Ave #2273, Covina, CA 91723 or to Chicago Area Runners Association (CARA), 1540 S Ashland Avenue, Suite 201, Chicago, IL 60608. Your gift in honor of Evan DeBock is greatly appreciated.
