"No parent should have to bury their child."
—Théoden, Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien
Evan Lonsdale passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, June 29, 2025, at the age of 24. He is survived by his parents, Kerry and Henry Lonsdale; his sister, Brenna Lonsdale, of Brentwood, California; and his grandparents, Phyllis and Bill Hall, of Mountain View. He is preceded in death by his grandmother, Ramona Lonsdale, also of Brentwood, California; his grandfather, Howard Lonsdale, of Leavenworth, WA; and his Golden Retriever, Sunny.
Evan was born on November 19, 2000, in Mountain View, California. He graduated from Liberty High School in 2019 and from the University of Colorado Boulder in December 2024 with a degree in Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences and a minor in Business Administration. After spending the winter skiing in the Rocky Mountains while working two part-time jobs in Boulder, Evan returned home several months ago to launch his adult life. He started working as an Account Executive at California Payroll, selling human resources software with the intention of acquiring sales experience. He aspired to work within the Space industry as a Sales/Field Engineer. Evan had the unique skill of interpreting something technically complicated and dumbing down the explanation so people like his mother could understand. He would have excelled in such a career.
He also wanted to adopt a rescue Golden Retriever.
He often talked about moving into his own place, somewhere he could easily drive to the Sierra Nevadas to ski. Because next to Space, skiing was his passion. A month after he turned 19, he traveled solo to ski Zermatt, Switzerland, and the Italian Alps. He skied Heavenly, Bear Valley, Palisades Tahoe, Kirkwood (His favorite!), and numerous other slopes in California. He shredded fresh powder with his college buddies on multiple mountains throughout Colorado and went to Jackson Hole every year.
Evan started his life as a traveler, taking a cruise to Puerto Vallarta with his parents when he was only eight weeks old. And he didn’t stop there. He visited Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, Washington DC, Virginia, Hawaii, and Florida. He went scuba diving in Cancun and swam with Dolphins in the Caribbean Sea. He fished in Sitka, Alaska, and off Baja California. He swam in the waves off Maui and Kauai and spent New Year’s Eve in Zermatt in the shadow of the Matterhorn. He went to the top of the Eiffel Tower and rode the TGV bullet train in France. He hiked Yosemite, Lassen, King’s Canyon, Zion, Moab, Glacier, Yellowstone, Crater Lake, and Rocky Mountain National Parks, just to name a few.
While Evan was never one to sit still, he exuded an air of quiet calmness. He is remembered for his kindness, empathy, and generosity. He had a wicked sense of humor and a sharp wit that will be dearly missed by his friends and family. He could make you laugh. He was the guy you wanted walking beside you on a mountain trail or sitting next to you at a ball game. And he gave the best hugs.
Our gratitude for any sense of contribution to making this journey happen for him is immeasurable. In the words of his sister Brenna, “his ending will be written in stardust.” Thank you for helping us give the sendoff among the stars that Evan spent the 24 years of his life reaching for.
