DALLAS — Less than a year after same-sex marriage became legal in every state, half of the first gay couple to be married here died, according to a message posted on his church's Facebook page.
Jack Evans, 86, died at Thursday at Baylor University Medical Center here after "battling lung issues for some weeks," according to Northaven United Methodist Church in Dallas.
Evans and his partner, George Harris, now 83, exchanged vows in a church commitment ceremony March 1, 2014, the same week a federal judge struck down Texas' law banning same-sex marriage. On June 26, 2015, the day of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling, they made their union legally binding.
"To see the care that he and George gave to each other, not only on every average day but also in the quiet of a hospital room, was an inspiration to me on countless occasions," said the Rev. Eric Folkerth, pastor at Northaven since 2001.
The couple, who had been members of Northaven United Methodist Church for 25 years, founded the North Texas GLBT Chamber of Commerce and The Dallas Way, a group that's chronicling the history and stories of Dallas' gay community.
"We had great love for each other, and we proved it," Harris told The Dallas Morning News on Friday. "We proved it — that love wins."
The Rev. Bill McElvaney, a retired Methodist pastor who risked losing his pension and credentials, officiated at Evans' and Harris' ceremony. While the United Methodist Church ministers to all people no matter their sexual orientations, the denomination does not condone homosexuality or support gay marriage, according to its creed revised in 2012.
Another Methodist minister, the Rev. Frank Schaefer, was defrocked in December 2013 after officiating at the marriage of his gay son, but in October 2014 the church's judiciary council reinstated his ordination.
Back in March 2014, Evans and Harris said they thought they never would see a day when they could marry: "Not in a million years," Harris said then.
"Four years ago, it was something that was not fathomable at all," Evans said in 2014. "There was no hint that this could come about."
Evans and Harris met in 1961 in Dallas and were together for 55 years.
"Jack was gregarious, funny, a strong believer in social justice, and a mentor to generations of LGBTQ people, and their straight allies," Folkerth said in the Facebook post. "He lived through remarkable social change for LGBTQ people, marveled at those changes, and was a key part in those social changes happening."
At the time of their union, Evans and Harris said they thought there was a greater reason for them to join together in marriage.
"You often wonder what you are doing here. ... What's your purpose?" Harris said. "And we talked about that for a long time, and maybe this is it."
A memorial service will be held at Northaven United Methodist Church. Details are pending.
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