A family with strong ties to Deer Isle wants to use tragedy to bring hope and help to people who are struggling with alcoholism.
Trammell Evans, who is 25 years old and used to spend the summers on Little Deer Isle as a child, was last seen in April 2023 while walking through California’s high desert. In January of this year, his body parts were found.
Today, the man’s family, who called him “Tram,” started a non-profit to teach people about drunkenness and the risks of alcohol withdrawal, which is what killed him.
In an interview on September 10, his mother, Amy deGozzaldi Evans, said, “We want something good to come out of this.”
Evans was last seen in Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California in April 2023. His family lives in Jacksonville, Florida, six months of the year, and news outlets there and in Southern California reported his loss. Maine news outlets did not previously report that he had gone missing or died.
Evans and his two brothers spent every summer at the family home near Swain’s Cove on Little Deer Isle. This is what his mother and other family members had done since Amy’s great-grandmother bought the land there in 1913. Evans loved sailing, just like his grandpa Philip deGozzaldi did.
He sailed with the Bucks Harbor Yacht Club team and then taught sailing there for a number of years. He and his father also took part in a number of Newport-to-Bermuda sailing races.
In Jacksonville, Evans graduated from Episcopal High School. Four years later, during the COVID-19 pandemic, he graduated from Florida State University. Because of the pandemic, a job offer he had been given was taken back.
His mother said that alcoholism runs in the family. Evans started drinking a lot after moving to Austin, Texas, to be close to friends. After drinking too much, he would hide for weeks at a time and turn off his cell phone so no one could reach him. Finally, his mother and brother were able to get him to agree to go to a rehab program in Portland.
He finished seven days, but then he refused to go on. Evans then chose to walk along the Appalachian Trail. He hiked all 2,193 miles and fell in love with a woman he met on the trail. He then planned to move to California to be with her. His mother said he was clean and seemed to be getting better from his drinking problem.
But in April 2023, Tram broke up with his girlfriend for a short time and then started using drugs again. He started drinking a lot again, but quickly told people he wanted to stop drinking on his own, without going to a rehab program.
“Take me to Joshua Tree.” His mother said, “He said, “I will hike until I get clean.” That was the last time anyone saw him living.
Scientists doing study in the area where Evans was last seen hiking found his backpack in January of this year. Soon after, park rangers found his body.
Park guards found Evans’ personal journal with his backpack and camping gear. His mother said that he wrote in it often. “I am having seizures” and “Love is what life is about” were the last items written.
Evans’ mother and other family members have since made the Tram Evans North Star Foundation in his honor. Its goal is to teach people about the risks of alcohol use disorder and alcohol withdrawal syndrome and help those who are dealing with them and their families.
The founders have made a website called tensfoundation.org and are working with experts on drug abuse to make at least 20 educational videos that they plan to share on social media and show in schools.
Amy Evans said, “Our job is to teach people.” This is something that 95% of people don’t know: alcohol withdrawal symptoms can kill you. This message needs to get to as many people as possible. We also want to help people safely get clean.
The foundation only held one event on Deer Isle in July. It was a cleanup effort by volunteers on Crow Island, which is south of Little Deer Isle and was Tram Evans’ favorite place to camp. His mother said that they plan to do it every year.