Joan R. (Reinikka) Evans

age 89, passed away peacefully on November 11, 2025, at Brentwood Nursing Home in Warwick, RI. Born in Providence, RI, she was the daughter of the late Arvo and Rose (Paradis-Bibeau) Reinikka and the wife of the late Robert F. Evans.

She is survived by her daughter, JoAnn M. Evans and her husband Tim Doherty, her son Daniel F. Evans, her daughter-in-law Adrienne Evans, her beloved granddaughters, Aili Rose Calore and Hannah Joan Sowa and their husbands, Michael Calore and Alex Sowa, and her beloved great grandchildren, Eleanor Calore and Owen, Camille, and Daphne Sowa.

Joan was kind, generous, diligent, non-judgmental and unfailingly ethical, values she fostered in her children and grandchildren, always trusting that they would do the right thing. She was also stoic and exasperatingly stubborn, which are among the qualities that helped her to persevere through many challenges in her life, including nursing her husband back from cancer and the heartbreak of losing two sons, Michael P. Evans and Thomas J. Evans, to multiple sclerosis.

She will be missed and fondly remembered for her practical wisdom and under-the-radar sense of humor, her delight in dining out and conversation over cups of tea, her knowledge of Reinikka and Evans family lore, and lively Sunday dinners where she served her delicious spaghetti sauce, pasta, meatballs, and eggplant parmesan.

Joan was a 1954 graduate of Central High School in Providence and a resident of Cranston, RI, for many years before moving to St. Elizabeth Assisted Living in Providence. Prior to her retirement, she worked in the field of disability support assisting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Her burial at St. Anne’s Cemetery in Cranston was private. The family is very grateful for the compassionate care Joan received from the staff of Brentwood Nursing Home and Beacon Hospice Care.

In lieu of flowers, donations to any of the following organizations would be greatly appreciated: Beacon Hospice Care, 1130 Ten Rod Rd., Suite A205, North Kingstown, RI 02852; St. Elizabeth Assisted Living, 109 Melrose St., Providence, RI 02907; or the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Connecticut-Rhode Island Chapter.