John H. Evler, Iii Obituary (1942

John H. Evler III, age 72, died at home in Austin on Tuesday, August 19, 2014. Known to family and close friends as Jay, John was born in Frederick, Maryland, to parents Catherine Adele Evler and John H. Evler II. John attended high school in Westminster, Maryland; after graduating from high school, he joined the United States Air Force. After completing his four years of service, he returned to Maryland and attended Western Maryland College on a football scholarship. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English in 1968. Upon his graduation, John went to work for a nonprofit organization, the Board for Fundamental Education, as an educational trainer in industrial settings. Taking a one-year sabbatical in 1972, he spent a year in the United States Merchant Marine as an engineer on board a cargo ship, the Shirley Lykes. Aboard the Shirley Lykes he traveled from the U.S. to Africa and South America. A year later he moved to Indianapolis, Indiana, where the Board for Fundamental Education had its home office. In Indianapolis he took a position with the Indiana State Board of Health and earned a Master's Degree from the School of Environmental and Public Affairs at Indiana University in 1975. From 1975 through 1982, he worked in regional health planning agencies in Indiana, serving as the President of the Central Indiana Health Planning Agency from 1979 through 1982. In 1982, John and his wife Mescal moved to Orlando, Florida, where he joined the staff of Orlando Regional Medical Center. In 1987, they moved to Boston, Massachusetts, where John held a position as Vice President for Marketing and Planning for Bay State Health Care. In 1992, John joined the Seton Health Care family as Vice President and Executive Director of the Seton Physician Hospital Network, where he was responsible for the first physician-hospital contracting organization in Austin. Later, as Senior Vice President for Insurance Services and President and COO of the Seton Health Plan, he was responsible for managed care services, pricing, contract negotiations, and contracts management. He also developed the Seton Health Plan, a health maintenance organization, which today serves Texas Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Plan enrollees and more than 20,000 Seton associates and their families. John retired from Seton in 2010 and began a retirement career as a consultant to Seton's parent company, Ascension Health, in a number of their health ministries across the United States. In 1974, John married his wife, Mescal, and their son John Evler IV (Chip) was born in 1976. In addition to his love and devotion to his wife and son, John was a loving father to his stepson, Bryan Messmore. John was preceded in death by his father and mother, and his brother Richard. He is survived by his wife, Mescal; son John of Austin, Texas; stepson Bryan, daughter-in-law, Melanie Messmore, and by his grandchildren Hannah, Bryanne, Dylan, and Mollie Messmore, all of Lawrenceburg, Indiana. In addition to his immediate family members, John leaves the following: sister-in-law Sharon Evler, niece Corinne Saumenig, and nephews Allen and Brent Evler of Maryland; sister-in-law and brother-in-law Rande and James Fleitz, and nephews Asa and Cameron Fleitz of South Carolina; and brother-in-law and sister-in-law Mark and Jane Buchanan, and nieces Heather Babb and Hope Featherstone of Indiana. All who knew John were aware that he lived life robustly, with energy and panache. He was filled with wanderlust, always ready to travel, and traveled extensively in the United States and internationally. Two of his favorite places to visit were Newport Beach, California, and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. John was a gourmet cook who relished good food, built his own wine cellar, and enjoyed sharing his wine with others. He was an avid reader of poetry, spy novels, and history. In addition, he was a passionate healthcare innovator and entrepreneur who leaves a strong legacy of servant leadership and advocacy on behalf of the Seton Healthcare Family's mission to serve the poor and the vulnerable. A celebration of life will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, September 27, 2014, at Weed-Corley-Fish Funeral Home, 3125 North Lamar Boulevard, Austin, Texas. John's family is especially grateful to Dr. Stephen Bekanich and Seton's Cancer Care Collaborative for the comfort and care provided to John and Mescal during the last months of his life. The family suggests that memorial contributions be made to The Seton Fund, in support of special projects and programs in palliative care. Gifts may be made at www.setonfund.org or to The Seton Fund, 1201 West 38th Street, Austin, Texas 78705. To send a flower arrangement in memory of John H. Evler, III, please click here to visit our sympathy store.