We Love You, Evan Nasky

This is a place for friends to post pictures, stories, quotes, videos, and anything else they want to share about our dear friend, Evan Nasky.

Perhaps, like me, you thought at times that this year would never end. Perhaps, like  me, you’ve run out of words long before you’ve run out of grief.

But we made it through this first year and I hope that, like me, you have found some way to keep him close.

When I am afraid I remember his voice telling me to push my roots deep into the ground and feel my legs grow strong and solid like tree trunks and feel my chest grow longer and taller and feel my arms stretch and branch out to the sun. I don’t remember where that warm up came from, but I find clarity in his careful focus and guidance.

“Love never ends, even in death”

I Dont Know

I did not know him well. The only connection I have to him is the regretfully short year and a half that I was committed to theater. I admired him greatly. I even saw House of Blue Leaves 3 times. I was mesmerized by the feeling that show gave me every single time. And he was the biggest part of that. 

The news of this has affected me like nothing else I can recall. Its been on my mind heavily the last few days. And I know i am late writing this, but I felt guilty. Like I didn’t have the right to share my feelings about someone I didn’t know half as much as most of you did. But tonight, I can’t help it. 

My biggest regret is not committing myself more to the program, because as I look back I see all the wonderful relationships I missed out on. All the memories that everyone has shared on this page have quite literally shaken me. Its a testament to the spirit he has.

The love he gave and received is amazing. I’ve never seen or felt something this genuine. Thanks for letting me share.

The Hindenburg

For my 17th birthday party, I had a birthday party picnic at Zilker. That’s where the picture of a lot of us releasing balloons came from.

I hung a giant piece of canvas up and had paint out for everyone to paint on the canvas so I could hang it in my room. We all painted different things, and Evan painted the Hindenburg. I was obviously very confused, and I kept asking him as the day went on, “Why?” and he always kept saying, “Because.” or “Think about it.” in his very sly way of saying those things.

It wasn’t until today, when I read a post my friend posted about the Hindenburg, that I got it. The Hindenburg tragedy happened on May 6th, 1937. My birthday is May 6th. 4 years later, I get it. I’ll try and find the canvas and post a picture when I can.

He also gave me a card. I’m sorry if this is all too much, but the card is as follows:


“Each day we die a little more.” on the front, with a giant plain stick figure. And then inside, “HAPPY BIRTHDAY! have a great one and eat ‘til you can’t eat no mo’! -Evan” and on the back, in tiny font, “Made by Evan Nasky (JUST SO YOU KNOW)!” It also came with our prom picture in one of those prom albums with our theme from that year. 

-Halyn 

A photo of his frame, to remember his face…

I’m going to visit my old artist to get Evan’s frame from Armitage tattooed on my chest.  He’s already sketched it… and it’s beautiful.  I have nothing but fond memories and love for this family.  You’ll always be near my heart, Evan…

Flowers and Other Thoughts

I check this thing like I check my Facebook page…which is an embarrassing amount of times. Every time someone posts something new, it’s like I get another piece to the puzzle that was Evan’s life. I haven’t really known what to do with myself lately. Life keeps going on around me, but I feel like I’m frozen in time. How could life possibly be continuing when such a beautiful person is gone from it? I don’t see him when I’m leaving my voice lesson anymore. I don’t see him when I leave my first year seminar class. I don’t see him when I perform in directing scenes. I don’t see him. I don’t talk to him. I don’t laugh with him. Evan’s light is something to be missed, even for those of us who lived in his shadow. I’ve been leaving a flower on the porch of The Boat (the theatre house that Evan inhabited) every day. Sometimes twice a day. I think Evan would have done the same for me. He was always so committed to everything he did. I want to be committed to him…to remembering him, to honoring him, to always loving him. I want to succeed for him. He has now given me a sense of purpose that I was desperately lacking. And I will never, never, never forget him for that among many, many, many other reasons. 

Sorry for the rambling.

<3 Hailey

While I have many fond memories of Evan they mostly consist of me stopping everything to listen to a joke that he was about to tell. My sophomore year of high school, a few of us (including Evan) had “B” lunch together, and I loved every second of it. I remember one time Evan explained to us why women are evil using mathematical proof:

Girls take time and money so,

GIRLS = TIME x MONEY

And we all know that time is money,

TIME = MONEY

So,

GIRLS = MONEY x MONEY = MONEY^2

And since money is the root of ALL evil,

MONEY = √EVIL

Therefore,

GIRLS = (√EVIL)^2

Concluding to,

GIRLS = EVIL

He wrote it all out for us on a piece of napkin, that I took home and put in my keepsakes box because I knew one day it would it would mean so much more to me. And it does.

-kat

The Sewell Family

Evan, Michael, and Steven were a constant welcome wonderful crew in our home since meeting in 6th grade. When I think of Michael and his friends it’s always that group and how awesome they were. People come and go in our children’s lives but there are only a select few that you know will all remain close friends  their entire lives no matter how much time passes or which paths they may choose in life. We always new, and were so happy that Evan would most definitely be one of those friends for Michael. As an added bonus, that would mean maybe we would get a chance to see him throughout the years too! While Michael was never a part of his theater life, they have so many great memories together, as do we. I will post some pictures shortly. We are completely devastated and cannot send enough love to even buffer any pain for Marilyn, Brian, Roz,and all who have known and loved Evan. 

Remembering Evan Nasky will never be difficult, letting him go will take a lifetime.

Love, 

Kelly, Jay, and Hannah Sewell

It’s taken me a while to write this, I admit. And now that it’s all said and done, now that we have grieved as a group, now that we have laid a dear friend to rest, maybe now I can sort out my thoughts. 

Me and Evan were never close friends. I knew him poorly, something that I regret now more than ever. I mainly worked backstage during our productions, keeping things running along so that the actors could work their magic. And God, with Evan around, it was magic. Out of all the shows I have worked, do you know which one is my favorite? “Peter Pan,” with Evan as Hook. I was a pirate, and words cannot describe how marvelous it was to be one of his crew. Pure joy every time we were onstage. And nobody else could have inspired us like that. 

I like remembering the little things most of all. The Christopher Walken t-shirt. The fucking ping-pong ball joke. The devilish grin he displayed in paintball (one of the few things we did together).

And the smallest thing most of all - noticing you. Leander theatre was very hierarchical when I was there, hopefully it isn’t now but I don’t know. There was a clear line in the sand between the “in” crowd and the rest of us. But Evan didn’t seem to mind. He never looked through you, as many others would. He would never look down on you, as was the social norm. 

Somebody posted this picture earlier, and I can’t stop looking at it. 

This is from “Armitage,” and I think from when they found out the show had advanced to the top level: the all-state competition here in Austin. I’m in the middle (in the dumb hat), on his right. Do you know who I was? Nobody. Literally nobody. I was a third-string techie, the only third-string techie. But that didn’t matter to Evan. He didn’t care if I was in the photo, after he had led the actors to greater heights that they thought possible. It didn’t even bother him. 

-aaron