Carmel Valley

Donald "Bud" Evenson passed away peacefully on April 16, 2025, in his home he built and loved inCarmel Valley, California. Born December 22, 1935, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Donald and Marie (Bogda) Evenson, Bud's fondest childhood memories were of the beautiful Wisconsin lakes and reeling in muskies and bass from the shore or the side of awooden canoe.

Bud attended both the University of Wisconsin and the University of Illinois where he was an architecture major, winning local and national competitions for his visionary designs on energy efficiency and innovation in the evolving style of experimental modernism. As a Frank Lloyd Wright protégé, Bud was part of the organic architecture movement incorporating the natural environment of a building site into the design concept.

After being awarded the Francis J Plym Traveling Fellowship and traversing throughout Europe studying classical and contemporary designs, Bud headed west and settled in Laguna Beach, California, drawn to the surf, sand and sun. During his time there, Bud designed and built a number of hillside homes, captivated by the spectacular views of the Pacific and challenged by the sloping view lots. Some of these houses still stand today and set the tone for mid-century homes in the area, integrating the structure into the hillside rather than on top of it.

He eventually made his way north, settling in Monterey in 1965. He met the love of his life, Sanaye, onawarm summer evening at Nepenthe in Big Sur. They married in 1967 and had two girls, Jenny and Sally. He was adoting father and stepfather to Sanaye's daughter Suzanne. During this time, he was Chief Designer at architectural firm Hall and Goodhue until opening his own office in Carmel-by-the-Sea, focusing on design and development.

Bud's local design work includes private residences, as well as contributions to notable community projects such as the Chamisal Tennis Club, Village Green in Carmel Valley Village, and Harris Court commercial complex in Ryan Ranch.

Bud's childhood love of fishing stayed with him all his life, drawing him to the waters of Monterey Bay where he fished for salmon and spent weekends working on his vintage boat, The Theresa C, while his daughters caught hermit crabs along the rocks. If you were lucky enough to receive one of his newspaper-wrapped packages of smoked salmon, you probably still think about it to this day.

He was an artist, a philosopher, a master griller, and a rockhound. He was an early collector, starting with rocks and stamps as achild and expanding into cars and American Indian art, pianos, and antiques. He was as kind and generous as he was talented and driven ~ a modern day Renaissance man who understood the importance of the process but recognized the thrill of the final product. He loved his family, the land, a perfect morning of fishing, and was always paying attention to the angles.

He leaves behind a legacy of structures and projects, inspiration and collections and so much love. In his last weeks he was surrounded by his devoted family, sharing stories and memories and homemade lemon meringue pie. He will be missed every single day by those who know and loved him.

Bud is survived by his adoring daughters Jenny (Douglas McClure) and Sally (Phillip Lopez) and stepdaughter Suzanne (Donald Feblowitz); his sister Ellen Anllo of Buffalo, NY; grandsons Craig (Ben Cheung), Matthew and Ian; granddaughter Lilly and nieces Bambi, Roxane, Lisa, Pilar, and Sara. Bud was preceded in death by his beautiful wife and partner of 59 years, Sanaye.

The family has not yet determined atime or place for a memorial service, but details will be shared at a later date.