Integration Three


 | Professor Taylor | Integration Three
The Relentless Pursuit of Happiness: My Eulogy

For many, Evan was a man of character, of humor, and most importantly, a man who was
constantly trying to improve both his happiness and others. Early on in his life, Evan was faced
with struggles that although were hard for him to overcome at the time, were integral in forming
the Evan that we celebrate here today. Evan was faced with the divorce of his parents, various
schisms in his own family, and the deaths of several loved ones that were his role models. While
Evan was at times stressed about his work and trying to make those around him happy, he was
never shy to crack a joke to make everyone else and himself laugh in the face of hardship. Dr.
Arsenault truly lived by Pico Iyer’s concept of “stepping farther back and standing still that we
can begin to see what that canvas (which is our life) really means and to take in the larger
picture” (“Why we need to slow down our lives” by Pico Iyer - Moreau FYE Week One). We all
should live and lead by Evan’s example of being able to balance his rigorous life as a doctor and
as a family man. Evan was committed to giving his children the best environment possible
growing up, and they are tremendous people today because of it.

As I mentioned before, Evan was a man that belonged not only to his family but to his
numerous friends that he was constantly there for. Similar to one of his role models while he was
at the University of Notre Dame studying to become a doctor, both he and father Hesburgh had
the “price of belonging to everybody is probably belonging to nobody” (“Hesburgh” by Jerry
Barca and Christine O’Malley - Moreau FYE Week Two). Those that loved Evan came to notice
that sometimes he would give himself to so many different people that he didn’t have a
“group” at times that he could identify with. Regardless, Evan did come to find himself and to
promote his happiness. There was never a day that went by where I didn’t see him smiling and
laughing. Evan wanted to be remembered not as a doctor, but as a person of passion, humility,
and selflessness. In his world, the definition of a “life well-lived” was led by looking out for
those that you care most about and providing for them. By uplifting others, Evan was truly a
person that made this world a better place.

When we all look back at Evan’s life, it truly is a tremendous story. But his story is not
just full of super happy moments, but moments of adversity. A story that Evan used to always
tell was one of his senior year of high school. Evan was overwhelmed with the questions of
where he was going to college and on top of this was faced with several injuries that kept him
from doing some of his favorite physical activities. Despite having all of these things placed on
top of him, Evan kept the same mentality as Sister Theresa Aletheia. Evan believed that “in
facing the darkest realities of life that we find light in them” (“Meet the Nun Who Wants You to
Remember You Will Die” by Ruth Graham - Moreau FYE Week Three). By getting through one
of the hardest times of his life, Evan was able to go to the University of Notre Dame, make a ton
of friends, and become the Evan that we are celebrating today. Some of the best things that we
will get in this life are from some of the hardest things that we encounter. We should not be sad
that Evan has passed, rather, we should be happy that we got to encounter such a great man in the
first place.

https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/
https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=10159379-7eca-4549-8581-ab9500c9ecd9
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/us/memento-mori-nun.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/us/memento-mori-nun.html


We all know and love Evan for the great person that he was, but we must also
acknowledge the love and the passion that he had for his career as a doctor. Evan came to realize
that he wanted to choose a profession where he could help people. Evan truly realized that a
great career is one that “is comprised of your values, interests, personality, and skills”
(“Navigating Your Career Journey - Moreau First Year Experience Course” by Luzzo, D.A., &
Severy, L.E. - Moreau FYE Week Four). His calling as a doctor was so much more than just the
respect that comes with being a physician. Evan believed that helping others and being involved
in a job that requires high-level thinking was what he wanted to do. Evan truly believed that he
could save lives and he did. Throughout his career, he was able to help thousands of people and
not only help them but build relationships with them.

Evan lived his life through being able to relate to others and not only reflecting on what
he had to say about himself as a person but what others had to say about him as a person. One of
the most influential people in Evan’s life was his mother. Evan’s mom was his #1 fan. Not only
would she always keep things straight with Evan about things he was doing right and the things
he was doing wrong but she would also just love to have conversations with him about how to be
a great person. Evan was a man that when faced in the eyes of adversity could easily get in the
zone. A specific moment when he was in the zone that his mother was proud of him for was
when he was waitlisted at Notre Dame. Evan tried his hardest to get into ND and in the end, had
the opportunity to attend (“Week Five Discernment Conversation Activity” by Moreau First Year
Experience - Moreau FYE Week Five). Evan was able to reflect upon some of the things his
mother said he valued and turn into an even better person. By looking at the things that we value
in life, we can develop a great outlook on who we are and who we want to become.

Some of the things that we can look back on today that Evan did so great was to always
look on the positive side of things. Despite having several things happen to him that he could not
get around no matter what, whether that be the countless injuries that he endured or his family
issues from a young age, Evan was always looking at the things that he could do instead of
looking at the things that he couldn’t. Evan came to model his career after paraplegic Dr. Jihoon
Kim and was inspired by his story of being able to do wonderful things even though he was stuck
in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. One of Evan’s favorite quotes from Dr. Kim was involving
the light that Kim looked for in his everyday life. “But then I began to realize that some of the
things that I can do, the movements that I have already, can be a blessing for some others” (“5
Minutes” by Grotto - Moreau FYE Week Six). Evan truly served as a blessing for us and wanted
everyone to be able to see the light in everything no matter how hard things got.

Of all things that were important to Evan, the most important thing was his religion. Evan
modeled his life after the teachings of the Church and truly wanted to be the best follower of God
that he could be. Evan saw Pope Francis as a key role model in his life and wanted to follow his
model of letting go of the judgment of others to create a community that we could all live in and
be included. (“Why the only future worth building includes everyone” by TED - Moreau FYE
Week Seven). Evan wanted to be the Good Samaritan in the story of several people’s lives.

https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yZ7hqvx-u4EuW2nlK-fRbWFiurQm1mZv_KpoeeiN4So/edit
https://grottonetwork.com/make-an-impact/transform/why-does-god-allow-suffering/?utm_source=moreau&utm_medium=class&utm_campaign=spring_2022
https://grottonetwork.com/make-an-impact/transform/why-does-god-allow-suffering/?utm_source=moreau&utm_medium=class&utm_campaign=spring_2022
https://www.ted.com/talks/his_holiness_pope_francis_why_the_only_future_worth_building_includes_everyone/transcript


Whether it was his patients at work or his own family and friends, he was always putting their
well-being above his.

We are all better people for having encountered Evan as a person. In the end, he did live
such a good life. A life that was full of passion, caring, and happiness. Although we will never be
able to see that smile on his face again, we all know he is smiling in heaven looking down on us.