Virbie Jean Evans

Title: The Dash Between the Dates

It's not the dates that define a life...

It's the faith we live, the love we give, the lives we touch, and the memories we leave in the dash between them.

In Loving Celebration of the Life of

Virbie Jean Evans

December 7, 1946 - June 30, 2026

"Some people pass through this world leaving footprints. Others leave a legacy of love so deep that it continues to touch lives long after they are gone.

Virbie Jean Evans was one of those rare people. She lived a life that can best be described in one word-Unforgettable."

If you were fortunate enough to know Virbie Jean Evans, chances are she made you feel like family. She had a God-given gift for making people feel seen, welcomed, encouraged, and loved. Whether you knew her for fifty years or five minutes, you left her presence a little better than you found it. That was simply the way she lived.

Virbie Jean Evans was born on December 7, 1946, in Walnut Grove, Mississippi, to the late Bennie B. Caples and Thelma Louise Caples. In 1951, the Caples family relocated to Chicago, Illinois, where they built a new life together. They lived throughout several neighborhoods on Chicago's West Side including the historic Cabrini-Green community, and later the South Side.

From an early age, Virbie possessed something that could not be taught, a heart for people, especially her people, and she knew how to protect them. Literally.

She attended Cooley High School in Chicago and, in 1963, welcomed her greatest earthly blessing, her only biological child, Marvin DeVon Caples. While Marvin was her only son, anyone who knew Virbie understood that motherhood wasn't limited by biology. Throughout her life, countless people lovingly referred to her simply as "Mom or Auntie".

She had that kind of spirit.

She loved deeply.

She cared endlessly.

She welcomed everyone.

Virbie was a natural-born giver and servant. Those who knew her best would tell you those weren't simply qualities she possessed-they were the very essence of who she was.

Her son Marvin often says,

"If my mother thought she could live without her physical heart, she would have given it away a long time ago."

Nothing could describe her better.

If someone needed encouragement, she gave it.

If someone needed prayer, she prayed.

If someone was hungry, she fed them.

If someone needed love, she never hesitated to share it.

Giving wasn't something Virbie did.

Giving was who Virbie was.

In 1974, Virbie became part of Chicago history when she was hired by the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) as one of the first women ever employed as a Transit Operator. She wasn't simply breaking barriers-she was opening doors for generations of women who would follow.

Her leadership abilities soon became evident.

She later successfully ran for and served as Chairperson of the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 241 Women's Council, where she advocated for women in the transportation industry with the same compassion, fairness, and determination she demonstrated throughout every area of her life.

Long before leadership titles came, Virbie had already found her voice.

During the early 1970s, she was featured in Jet Magazine while participating in demonstrations advocating for underserved communities and speaking out against governmental policies affecting Chicago's neighborhoods. She believed every person deserved dignity, respect, and opportunity, and she wasn't afraid to stand up for those whose voices often went unheard.

While working for CTA, fate introduced Virbie to the love of her life, Jimmie Lee Evans.

Their friendship blossomed into a beautiful love story, and on June 19, 1986, they were united in marriage.

Together they shared a love rooted in friendship, faith, laughter, and unwavering devotion. Their marriage remained strong until Jimmie's passing in 2017, leaving behind an example of love and partnership that inspired everyone who knew them.

Faith was never simply something Virbie practiced on Sundays.

It was the compass that guided every decision she made.

Together, Virbie and Jimmie faithfully served at Mount Sinai Baptist Church in North Chicago, Illinois.

Jimmie served as a devoted Deacon.

Virbie faithfully served through numerous church auxiliaries and ministries, always finding another opportunity to help someone else.

Jimmie was also a proud Master Mason, and in support of his Masonic journey, Virbie became an active member of the Order of the Eastern Star, continuing her lifelong commitment to charity, fellowship, and service.

But perhaps nowhere was Virbie's heart more visible than in her love for those experiencing homelessness.

Whenever she had an opportunity to volunteer, she did.

When there wasn't an organized event, she created one herself.

She prepared home-cooked meals in her own kitchen, packaged them with love, loaded them into her car, and personally drove throughout Atlanta sharing meals with those in need.

She never waited for someone else to make a difference.

She simply became the difference.

If you asked anyone what they remembered most about Virbie, many would probably smile before answering.

Because Virbie never met a stranger.

Whether standing in the grocery store, walking through her neighborhood, meeting a first-time visitor at church, or waiting in line somewhere, she had an amazing ability to make complete strangers feel like lifelong friends.

Her smile was genuine.

Her conversations were sincere.

People were naturally drawn to her.

Her son Marvin remembers teasing her before going into stores.

He would say,

"Mom...we're only going in for a couple things. Please don't stop and talk to anybody because we're on a schedule."

Without fail, a few minutes later she would be nowhere to be found.

Eventually he'd discover her several aisles away having an animated conversation with someone she'd just met.

When he'd ask what happened, she'd simply smile and say,

"I didn't approach them...they started talking to me."

And somehow...

They always did.

Even during the final months of her life, while hospitalized and facing challenges with her heart's health, Virbie's servant's heart never stopped beating.

She quietly collected plastic utensils, peanut butter packets, fruit cups, bottled water, and other supplies from her hospital meals.

Why?

Because she planned to assemble care packages for people experiencing homelessness once she returned home.

Even while others focused on caring for her...

She was still thinking about caring for someone else.

That was Virbie.

Always.

There was perhaps no one Virbie celebrated more enthusiastically than her beloved son, Marvin.

She loved him deeply and never missed an opportunity to let the world know just how proud she was of the man he had become.

As a licensed REALTOR®, Marvin regularly shared new listings, happy clients, and successful closings on social media.

Before long, friends learned to scroll straight to the comments.

Because they knew they were about to see one that could only have come from Virbie.

Written in all capital letters, it usually read...

PROUD MAMA!!

HALLELUJAH!!

MAN OF GOD!!

Those words became more than comments.

They became her signature.

She wasn't trying to help him market real estate.

She was simply doing what came naturally.

Celebrating her son.

Believing in him.

Praying over him.

Cheering him on.

Every chance you got.

Her life reminds us that greatness isn't measured by wealth or titles.

It is measured by the love we give...

the lives we touch...

the kindness we show...

and the difference we make in someone else's life.

Virbie taught us that strangers are simply friends we haven't met yet.

She taught us that kindness costs nothing but means everything.

She taught us that serving others is one of life's greatest callings.

Most of all, she taught us what unconditional love looks like.

Her favorite scripture was John 3:16, so much so that it became the greeting callers heard whenever they reached her voicemail.

It was more than her favorite verse.

It was the foundation upon which she lived her life.

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

-John 3:16 (KJV)

Today we don't simply remember Virbie Jean Evans.

We celebrate her.

We celebrate her laughter.

We celebrate her faith.

We celebrate her strength.

We celebrate her generosity.

We celebrate every conversation she started...

every meal she shared...

every hug she gave...

every prayer she prayed...

and every life she forever changed.

Her legacy lives on in every person she encouraged, every heart she comforted, every stranger she welcomed, and every soul she loved.

She leaves us not with an ending...

but with an example.

Virbie leaves to celebrate her extraordinary life her beloved son, Marvin DeVon Caples; her son and daughter-in-love, Christopher Evans and Emanuel Evans; her cherished grandchildren, Ciara DeVonne Caples, Brittane Marie Maddox, and Skipp M.; her loving siblings Bennie B. Caples, Jerome Caples (deceased), Eula Caples-Guterz, Kathrine Glover, Annette Thomas (deceased), and Ramona Carol Darby; along with a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, extended family members, church family, dear friends, and countless others whose lives were forever enriched by knowing her.

We celebrate you, Virbie Jean Evans.

A devoted wife.

A loving mother.

A proud grandmother.

A faithful sister.

A treasured aunt.

A loyal friend.

A servant of God.

A woman whose love knew no boundaries.

Your beautiful spirit lives on in all of us.

Until we meet again...

Well, done, good and faithful servant.

Matthew 25:23.

HALLELUJAH

Virbie Jean Evans