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S. Carolina deputy with Putnam roots dies after heart attack
LUGOFF, S.C. -- A Putnam County native who spent the last 20 years in law enforcement in South Carolina died Wednesday morning after suffering heart attack while on duty Tuesday afternoon.
Rob Evans, 50, Lugoff, S.C., was directing traffic after school on Tuesday when he suffered a massive heart attack and collapsed, hitting his head on the pavement in the fall.
The Bainbridge native was treated at the scene by two nurses and a local fire chief with both a defibrillator and CPR until responders could arrive.
He was then transported to a local hospital, before being taken to Heart Institute at Providence Hospital in Columbia, S.C., where he later succumbed to his injuries.
Evans had planned to depart for Indiana early Wednesday morning to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with his family in Putnam County.
A North Putnam High School graduate, Evans got his start in public service as a Hendricks County dispatcher. He later relocated to South Carolina, where he served two decades as a police officer.
That law enforcement career began as a marshal in a small town, before Evans moved on to the Kershaw County Sheriff's Department. His most recent assignment with the department was as a student resource officer for the Kershaw County School District.
It was in this post that he suffered his injuries while on duty at Wateree Elementary School.
Evans is survived by his wife Beth Marie and their children, Katelyn and Lee.
The son the late Charles and Mary Evans, he is also survived by brother Russ Evans Sr. of Greencastle and sister Pamela Evans of Wilmington N.C.
A veteran of the public service in Putnam County, Russ praised the care and support his brother and the family had received during and after the tragedy.
"You just don't know how good people are until you put them to the test," Russ said. "And our responders always come through."
A 1:30 p.m. Sunday funeral service is planned for Rob Evans at the Lugoff First Baptist Church. He will be buried in the church cemetery.
The family will receive friends from 5-8 p.m. Saturday at Powers Funeral Home in Lugoff.
Evans was active in youth sports in Lugoff as a high school football announcer and a middle school assistant football and basketball coach. As such, memorials in his name may be made to the Lugoff-Elgin High School ABLE Club, 1284 Hwy. 1 South, Lugoff, SC 29078.