Marlene “Chris” J. Evans, 89, a Northland resident of Kansas City, MO passed away peacefully Saturday, June 11, 2022 under the care of Amedysis Hospice. Marlene was born June 1, 1933 to Russell A. and Frieda W. (Claus) Stone in Schenectady, New York.
She was a longtime friend and colleague of Zecharia Sitchin. Marlene accompanied Sitchin on several expeditions to ancient sites in the Mediterranean region, Europe and Mexico; she appeared on Ancient Aliens to discuss Sitchin’s work. Marlene is a published author of two books; Legacy of Zecharia Sitchin and Zecharia Sitchin and the Extraterrestrial Origins of Humanity.
Photo left to right – Marlene Evans, Zecharia Sitchin, Joyce Thielen
M. J. Evans earned her doctorate at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School in 1978 in the Department of Geography. She focused her early research on environmental perception, perception of mapped information, persistent landscape features, ancient sites, and human cultures and habitats. In her undergraduate degree awarded cum laude at Utica College of Syracuse University in 1966, she majored in psychology with a minor in geography. Her doctoral research drew on her undergraduate themes of perception as applied to landscape analysis and human behavior.
From 1969 to 1974, she taught geography at Utica College. Her second academic position was at the newly organized State University of New York’s Empire State College, where she taught for 31 years. Her teaching emphasis there focused on adult learners, human geography, earth science, environmental problems, and human impacts on the environment. There she earned the rank of full professor.
Over her academic career, her personal travels took her to ancient sites in Israel, Turkey, Ireland, Great Britain, and France, where she focused on ancient enigmatic landscapes in an effort to tease out their meaning for early peoples. She examined and studied numerous sites in detail, such as Qumran in the basin of the Dead Sea; Newgrange in Ireland; Stonehenge, Avebury and Silbury Hill in southern England; and coastal landscapes in Scotland. To deepen her understanding of the concept of heresy, a topic she explored recently, she studied the Dead Sea Scrolls material, the Templar’s history, and traveled to southern France where she visited landscape mysteries in the Rennes le Chateau and Montsegur areas, and the Cathar castles.
Beginning in 1996 she traveled with Zecharia Sitchin and his groups to ancient sites in Greece, and on Santorini and Crete, in addition to explorations in Israel, Italy, and on the islands of Malta.
Dr. Evans retired as Professor Emeritus from her full-time faculty position at SUNY’s Empire State College in 2004.
Books by M. J. Evans:
The Legacy of Zecharia Sitchin. This book is a tribute to the life and work of Zecharia Sitchin. He was a pioneer who left a great legacy behind regarding our ancient past and the origins of mankind. He taught us to think in new ways based on his breakthrough research and exciting discoveries. Sitchin was one of about 200 people who could translate the first form of writing on the earth – ancient Sumerian cuneiform script. By combining translated text with modern scientific knowledge and archaeological discoveries, he pieced together in his books a more complete mosaic of mankind’s shrouded past. He believed that mythological stories were not figments of people’s imaginations, but records of events that had actually taken place, and spent his life proving it. As modern science catches up with ancient knowledge, we have continued to discover, largely through Sitchin’s work, that the gods were once here and that they may be coming back. M. J. Evans, Ph.D., presents in this work an extremely well researched overview of Sitchin’s contributions to the knowledge of ourselves and our true origins. His work is put within the framework of a new paradigm, which is looming on the horizon. It will grow as our minds continue to open and new discoveries continue to corroborate his findings.
Of Heaven and Earth: Essays Presented at the First Sitchin Studies Day, 1996, The Book Tree, contributing author. Contains information on Sitchin’s theories about the origins of mankind and the intervention of intelligence from beyond the earth in ancient times. He and other contributors offer a scholarly approach to the ancient astronaut theory. Chapters by Zecharia Sitchin, Neil Freer, J. Antonio Huneeus, Father Charles Moore, V. Susan Ferguson, and two university professors, Madeleine Briskin and Marlene Evans. Were certain myths actual events instead of figments of imagination? They all agree on this, and that Sitchin’s work is the early part of a new paradigm — one that is beginning to shake the very foundations of religion, archaeology and our society in general. ~ Published by The Book Tree.
Chris is survived by her two sons, Stephen Evans and Robert Evans; five grandchildren: Ashley Evans Taylor; Zachary Owen Evans; Amy Evans Manzulich; Allison Evans Madden; Lia Evans Gafford; 12 great-grandchildren: Evan Manzulich; Ellie Manzulich; Emma Manzulich; Owen Manzulich; Kylie Evans; Brooklyn Evans; Annabelle Madden; Abraham Madden; Alaska Madden; Aragorn Madden; Aubree Taylor and Jordan Taylor; a sister Karen Grossi; a brother Clayton Stone; son-in-law Randy Wells; several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by both parents, a daughter, Laurie Ellen Evans and a brother Russell Wilfred Stone.
No formal services are scheduled at this time. Marlene’s family has honored her final wishes of cremation. Memories of Marlene and condolences to her family may be shared at meyersfuneralchapel.com.
We’re sorry to hear of your loss. She was always friendly to us and I found her quite funny.
Peace be with you all. May she travel everywhere she ever wanted now.
My condolence,she had many knowledge.was very kind person.my preyers will with her.i am proud to knowing her ..
Chris will be missed by the friends she had within the Sitchin Group. A lot of knowledge was lost by me for not keeping in closer touch with her on her excavation learnings.
I am so sorry to learn of Chris’ passing. I had the good fortune to meet with her many times at my uncle, Zecharia Sitchin’s many seminars and at some of the gatherings we had after my uncle passed away. I can see by her obituary that her research and study, and of course her books, on these topics were very important to her and were a big part of her recent identity and passions. She will be missed. My condolences to all of you.
Chris was a dear and wise and talented and humorous friend and I will miss her. I was fortunate to have traveled with her to Germany and Turkey and to have spent time with her at many conferences and other gatherings. It was through our mutual love for and interest in Zecharia Sitchin and his works that we met and became sisters. Surely, she will be spending much more time with Zecharia now. Thank you, Chris, for being my friend.
My husband and I send condolences to all.
I will miss Chris. Her knowledge and energy amazed me and I can only hope to be a little vibrant and interesting she was. I first met her when she joined the Sitchin trips and tried to keep in touch with in these recent years. I wish we had more time, my friend. My sympathy to everyone . Judy
I met Chris in 1996 on a group trip to Greece with Zecharia Sitchin. On the way back we both flew to Israel — she was invited to teach geography in a summer school, and I was visiting my family. Our connection continued all these years since the Greek trip. In 2011, Chris was staying with me in California when she was presenting her book, “The Legacy of Zecharia Sitchin” at a bookstore in Mountain View.
I will miss you, Chris. Lena
Chris was a neighbor of mine before moving to Kansas, she became Mom to me through the years we knew each other ,she surely will be missed by friends and family , thoughts and prayers go out to the family
My wife Cindy and I knew Chris and her family when she moved ‘up the mountain’ from us in North Carolina for about five years. She was kind to us and everybody she met. We had many very interesting conversations! I pray they made their mark. Blessings to all in her family; our condolences to all. Stay well; God bless.
I’m glad to have met and spent time with Chris. She was such a nice person and had a great wealth of knowledge that she was so willing to share. Chris made good use of her time with her explorations and studies and was on a mission to understand our past. As well, she also spent time in the present with her family and friends. She will be greatly missed. My sincere condolences to all.
Aunt Marlene (Aunt-alene)
Godspeed to you Be at rest in the Lords Kingdom
I love you!
Love your Nephew
David and family
My husband Monte and I were honored to get to know Chris on those long bus rides through Turkey. She was a fascinating storyteller with so much knowledge.
Our condolences to Chris’ family.
Chris and I had a special relationship as colleaques at Empire State College, and lost contact with her post 1990. Sorry that she’s gone; many will miss her.