Staff Reports
Marion Hammer, the NRA’s longtime lobbyist in Florida, eulogized former Republican state Sen. Greg Evers at his funeral this week.
The 62-year-old was killed in a single-car accident near his home in Baker. Evers spent six years in the Florida Senate and a decade in the Florida House.
The funeral was held Tuesday in his birthplace of Milton, at the First Baptist Church.
Here are Hammer’s remarks, as prepared.
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Greg Evers was a southern gentleman. By occupation he was a down-to-earth, God-fearing farmer.
This plain spoken man with a southern drawl was equally at home in work clothes rolling around in the dirt trying to repair a broken tractor or in a suit and highly polished cowboy boots debating on the floor of Florida House or the Senate trying to do the right thing for Florida citizens.
His roots ran deep in northwest Florida. He was born into farming and it’s what he learned, what he knew and what he did.
He worked harder, gave more and took less than most people.
Sixteen years ago he decided to run for the legislature. Winning a hard fought Special Election, he took a seat in Florida House of Representatives.
Greg Evers wanted to help people. And helping people is why he decided to run for public office. He believed he could better represent the people of northwest Florida in Tallahassee because he was truly one of them and understood their needs. He wanted to be a champion for the people of northwest Florida.
Greg Evers became known for being an unwavering Second Amendment advocate, and a legislative champion for law enforcement, first responders and veterans.
He was blessed with remarkable common sense and if you asked him to take on a project, he was thorough. He would go anywhere and talk to anybody to get to the truth. He was fearless in his pursuit of the truth and justice.
He made many, many sacrifices because he loved people. And it was his love for people and dedication to public service that drove him.
Greg didn’t run for office to take the easy route and he wasn’t really concerned about being popular with his colleagues. Greg Evers could not be cajoled or coerced into doing something he didn’t believe in. He was determined to do what he thought was right and he was never afraid to take the road less traveled.
His farming mind-set wouldn’t let him quit or slack-off until the work was done. I asked him one time how many hours a day he worked. And he replied, “Oh, from sometime before sun-up to sometime after “O-dark-30.” And then he laughed. He said, “You work until the job is done or until you just fall down and can’t do any more. I never doubted him for a minute.
After serving in the Florida House he moved up to the Florida Senate and his last venture into politics was to run for Congress.
And while Greg lost the election, I think the people of northwest Florida were the big winners because Greg stayed home. He came back to his roots – farming and agriculture. And to plan and strategize for another day.
The first conversation Greg Evers and I ever had was most unexpected. It was sixteen years ago.
He was a candidate running in the Special Election for the Florida House. He called my office the day before election day and he said “Miss Hammer, this is Greg Evers and I’m running for the House of Representatives over here in northwest Florida.” He then said, “You can call me Greg, can I call you by your first name?”
When I said yes, he said “Miss Marion, I know you have endorsed my opponent in this primary run-off. And I know he has worked as a volunteer for NRA over here in this area and I understand why you’re doing what you’re doing. So I wanted to tell you there’s no hard feelings. But I’m going to win this election and when I get to Tallahassee, I’m going to be the strongest Second Amendment supporter you could ever ask for and when I run for re-election I hope you’ll be working just as hard for me.”
That was pure class. That is one of the most amazing things to happen to me in my career in politics.
In time, I learned several things about Greg Evers that came from that phone call.
One, to Greg, my first name was “Miss Marion.” He simply would not say my name without showing respect to me.
Two, if he said it, he meant it. When that election was over, it was over. He never mentioned it again, didn’t try to get even, didn’t hold a grudge, didn’t taunt me with it. He didn’t even joke about it. He meant what he said,” No hard feelings.”
Three, he was so strong on the Constitution and the Second Amendment, he was probably a little to the right of me. He didn’t just say it, he believed it and he lived it. It was truly a part of who he was.
Greg Evers always tried to see your side. He earned your respect by the way he respected you. He never made an enemy when he could make a friend.
He would rather talk to people than blind side them. He believed he should try to win people over to his side and he’d try to do that. He even talked to people he knew would never agree with him but he had to try. He worked hard and went the extra mile.
Many a time I’d say, “Greg, you don’t have to do all that.” And he’d smile and say, “Yes Ma’am, I know, but it’s the right thing to do.”
Greg was a kind and generous man with more patience than anyone had a right to expect. And he was loyal to fault. He stood by people who didn’t even deserve his friendship.
Greg Evers would do a favor for you without YOU even asking. And he wouldn’t come running to you to take credit for what he’d done. And later when you found out and asked him about it, he’d just grin and say “I thought you’d like that.”
He took great joy in doing random acts of kindness and enjoyed meeting people and making friends.
To know Greg Evers and to be his friend was a gift from God.
It might sound like a cliché, but it is absolutely true: If everybody treated people the way Greg Evers treated people, our county and our communities would be a much better place to live and raise our children.
You simply can’t describe Greg Evers without everything sounding like an overused cliché. But that’s who he really was and who we all should hope to be. His honesty and profoundly respectful way of treating people and doing things were partnered with integrity, class and a down-to-earth philosophy that people should always do the right thing.
Greg Evers was my friend. The last words he said to me were, “Holler, if you need me.” And he meant it. For many years, that’s how we ended phone calls. If I said it first, he’d say “Yes Ma’am.” If he said it first I’d say “Yes, Sir.”
Some folks might call that too formal for friends. But most of us know that friends respect each other. And you show that respect by how you treat them and how you talk to them.
I wanted to be able to share with you the way some of Greg’s family see him, so I asked Greg’s brother Eric and his children Stephanie, Jennifer and Rob if there was anything they would like for us to know about Greg.
And these are some of the things they wanted you to know.
Growing up, Greg’s father always told him that he wasn’t better than anybody, but that he was just as good as everybody. He taught Greg to always treat those around him as equals. And his children believe, that is what gave their daddy his confidence and his presence.
They think it’s important to know that everyone might not have always agreed with him, but they respected him.
They told me people are driven by different things in life. For some its recognition, for some its wealth, but for daddy it was service. His life was centered on service to others.
They said he was happiest when he was doing something to make someone else’s life better.
And they said their daddy he made people feel like they were the most important person in the room when he talking to them. He was never fake, but always genuine and you always knew where he stood.
His brother Eric thought it was important for you to know that Greg Evers had a tender heart and couldn’t stand to see other people suffer.
His children agreed that Greg was kind and generous. He taught them that “your word is your bond,” and to always work hard. They said he set great examples for them.
They summed it by saying their Daddy loved his children and grandchildren more than words can say and he made sure they knew it. He was the strongest man, they knew. And they believed he could fix anything and any problem. They said his heart was bigger than the world.
No parent could ever HOPE to held in a better light by his children.
Greg’s parents have lost a son, their child. Parents never expect to lose a child. That’s not the way it’s supposed to be. Losing a child is some of the worst pain a parent will ever feel. Their son was loved by many and set an example others to follow. They raised their child to be a genuinely remarkable man.
Deep down inside, Greg’s children probably knew and expected that someday they would lose their father, but not this soon. And it is something they were not prepared for. The shock and grief is a lot to deal with. And while it doesn’t ease their pain right now, they should know that he left them an amazing legacy of strength, honesty and respect.
I hope they will try to look for the good in this tragic loss. And take comfort that he left this earth full of life and that their memories, and our memories are of him doing what he wanted & loved to do.
Greg and his wife Lori shared many good days and some very tough days. But they truly loved each other. Loving and being loved by another is a blessing. They both sacrificed much for each other and in the service of others. She should never forget his patience, his trust and his love.
When God reached down to take another good guy home, he picked one of the very best among us and we are all diminished by this loss. A dear, dear friend has moved on. But his disarming smile will remain in our memories.
Even in our loss, we must recognize that we are all better for having had Greg Evers in our lives and on this earth.
The legacy he leaves should be a challenge to us all – a challenge to be more like him. To be honest, to work with integrity, to help others, to show respect and to be a friend.
Greg Evers was indeed special. He was one of a kind and we will miss him.
God bless his family and God bless you all.
