clancy thomas Archives

Wedding Day

The Day They Met

She arrived at the basketball game early for a sound check passing the high school’s trophy case of her dad’s glory days. Evie Clair was getting used to people recognizing her by now but this concert was different. Most of the people arriving knew her father personally. Many were still grieving.

Sporadically approaching her as she climbed the bleachers, kids and adults asked for her picture or autograph, asked about Simon Cowell, or just wanted to give her a hug. A very tall, handsome ball player with brown curly hair and a bruise over his eye approached her with a basketball to sign. He asked if she would sign it as “Evelyn Abplanalp,” revealing that he wasn’t enamored as a fan but wanted to connect with her personally. He introduced himself as Clancy and told her his dad, Boe Thomas, wrestled there on the same team as her dad. Clancy reminded her a little of her dad and she was more than happy to sign his basketball.

As the game started she realized he was captain of the team and really good. It was the first time she ever watched a basketball game with such laser focus.

Evelyn learned there would be a dance for youth in the area that night. She went hoping he would come. When she saw him arrive with his team then leave them with his head bobbing over the top of the crowd towards her, she knew he came for one reason. He stayed even after his team left to make sure he made an impression on her. He did.

Not Dating

Realizing an age gap and that they lived in separate states, the two became penpals and found opportunities to see each other for family disc golf games when she was in town visiting grandma. She was scheduled to sing for an event in Hawaii the following Spring. Evie’s mom, knowing she didn’t have many friends because of her show schedule, invited him to come along. Her brother Porter was protective. His dad was gone and he saw it as his duty to keep the two apart knowing that Evelyn already had her heart set on marrying Clancy someday. The standard in her church and in her family are not to date until 16 so they were careful to stay friends and until then. After she turned 16 they still lived apart. He had just finished a mission in South America and finally had a chance to take her out on a date when she was visiting Idaho.

Giving Her Away

That day finally came and Porter gave his blessing as Clancy and Evelyn were married and sealed for eternity in the Tucson, Arizona temple. During the reception in San Tan Valley she had a special dance with her step dad to her daddy’s favorite song. The tears flowed. The looks on their faces told everyone’s hearts that Amos was there too dancing with his baby girl on her wedding day.

The Temple

Evie and Clancy were married in a temple. They are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and getting to the temple is the goal they set for themselves from the time they became members of the church at age 8. They kept themselves pure and clean and made special promises with God in order to enter the temple.

A few friends were traveling from out of town to the wedding. They were not members of the couple’s church but they came to the temple and graciously waited in the waiting room with the children and others who were not able to witness the wedding and sealing ceremony. Sometimes it can be difficult to tell people they can’t attend the wedding of someone they love so much. There are spiritual things involved with temple weddings that only those who have gone through for their own endowment would understand. Entering the temple for a wedding also requires a temple recommend from church leaders and the qualifications to enter are not easy. In this case, the friends understood and were happy just to be there on the majestic temple grounds. Evelyn and Clancy believe in marriage and families that last longer than death. This is why marriage in the temple was so important to them.

The Reception

After the wedding in Tucson, they traveled back to Evie’s church building to have a reception with close friends and family. The church building is special to Evie. Her dad was a bishop there and his funeral was filled from the chapel to the very back on that same overflow dance floor. It also happens to double as a basketball court which reminded us of where they met. The night was filled with good food and good music. Jill caught the bouquet then got married 2 weeks later to Evelyn’s brother. Evelyn’s cousins Buddy (The Way You Look Tonight), McKenna (Wonderful World) and Skylar (Forever Young), mom (Goodnight My Angel), sister Kirra (Grow as We Go) and uncle Ken (Perfect) sang some of her favorite songs. Her cousin Nick, brother Porter and Clancy’s brother who is also named Porter had some inspiring and hilarious words and memories to share. She ended the program singing a song by Jax called Like My Father…

Special Thanks

Thank you to all of you who sent gifts and well wishes to the couple and those who attended and performed – thank you so much. Special Thanks from Evelyn’s mom to: Patty Tonioli, Karyann Hoopes and her husband, Sarah Sheperd, Lyn Fulton, Christy Mann, Lori Marquez, Pam Michaelson, Phoebe and Ken Morris, The Thomas Family, Michael Fulton, President Anderson, Kathy Atwood, Michelle Rigby, Natalie Brokaw, Lissa and Jeromy Petersen, Josh and Natali Pearce, Ed and Deb Winters, Sarah & Dallin Welch, Kyle Morris, Elise Gloschat, Brother Westenscow, Anne Taylor, Panda Express that sent a thousand dollar gift card when they found out Evie Clair was serving Panda at her wedding, and everyone who stayed after to help clean up so fast. The blessings of such kind and selfless people mean so much and made Evelyn and Clancy’s day so special.

I Love Clancy Because…

“i love clancy because of his willingness and instinct to minister. he loves God and will always put Him first. he knows how to make me happy and he does it everyday!” -Evelyn Clair Thomas

December 23, 2021

Evie Clair Is Engaged At Age 17 And That’s Okay

As of October 24th, Evie Clair is engaged to her long-time best friend and sweetheart Clancy Thomas. Evie and Clancy first met several years ago when Evie performed during a high school basketball game at her father’s alma mater. Clancy Thomas, the captain of the team, was thrilled to have her sign his basketball. Although there wasn’t an immediate connection, their relationship developed over the course of a four-year, long-distance friendship. Fans may recognize his name as a lyrics contributor on her first album, Okay Day. As Evie and Clancy grew closer, in the Fall of 2021 they decided to attend the same university together in Rexburg, Idaho. Now, they are officially engaged, and the couple is planning a wedding shortly after her 18th birthday in early December.

For many of her fans, this has seemed to have materialized almost out of thin air. Many still see her as the thirteen year old girl who tearfully took the stage for her dying dad on Season Twelve of America’s Got Talent. After the show, Evie had multiple tours and headlined in a show for several months with rigorous show schedules while living in a casino. All this as a ninth grader, performing and keeping up with classwork while also working through the loss of her father, compromised her completion of all of her ninth grade courses.

During the next year, as a tenth grader Evie was able to complete all of her ninth grade classes while taking her tenth grade classes. Based on her success with this, her school counselors were confident when she said she could take on double classes — eleventh and twelfth grade — to graduate a year early. She used the down time during the pandemic to complete eleventh grade courses online while attending twelfth grade classes, and graduated as a senior at age seventeen this past spring. With the same drive, which Evie puts into everything she does, she pursued and was granted admission to BYUI this fall, where she and Clancy, who had been away serving a foreign mission, began attending classes.

Her engagement and wedding plans have brought concern to many who know the difficulties which come with a marriage commitment. In a world where divorce is ever more common, many distrust the institution of marriage, while others consider it secondary in importance to graduating college, starting a career, etc. And while many argue that a seventeen-year-old lacks the maturity to make such a permanent decision, they may not realize that Evie is considerably more mature than most seventeen-year-olds. Evie is considerably more mature in many ways than some adults, having already had a fully-professional career for the past several years, while dealing with the painful loss of her father, working through deep theological questions regarding his death and her faith, completing her high school education in three years instead of four, being an active member of her church, supporting multiple charity fund raising events, giving testimonial interviews that encourage others in the faith, and producing multiple original songs and albums as well as frequent covers on her social media channels.

This is the experience of someone in their thirties – not your typical seventeen-year-old, which, of course, Evie is not. Evie Clair has identified with thirty-year-olds ever since the age of three. She has wisdom beyond her years that has been amplified by her experiences as a professional artist. Given her deep faith, trust and reliance on her Heavenly Father, she has frequently demonstrated restraint and discernment when approached by entertainment professionals with offers to sign contracts, in order to avoid those who would steer her down a wrong path. To this day, Evie has not signed with a label, or entered into a long-term contract, as she has always had a sense of knowing when something is off.

It is with that same faith, trust and reliance on her Heavenly Father, plus the heart of her earthly father in Heaven living in her, that she knowingly has made this commitment. Perhaps her father is directing her path from heaven. He must be happy knowing she found Clancy Thomas in his own high school gym.

November 5, 2021

Wedding Weekend

Evie traveled to Utah on April 26th to sing for the wedding reception of Elder Gressman, a missionary who served near her home last year. For the event, she worked with the mega talented director of the One Voice Children’s Choir, Masa Fukuda and top Utah cellist, Garrett Rosza.

They covered a beautiful song by Ruelle called “I Get to Love You” that was requested by the bride. They also covered “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” “Can’t Help Falling in Love” and some ‘on the spot’ requests. This is live, raw video footage filmed by A.J. Moss. Evie feels so grateful to be able to collaborate with such incredible musicians.

Evie Clair loves visiting Utah because she has lots of beloved aunts, uncles and cousins there. On this trip she also got to spend some time with her best friend, Clancy Thomas and his mom, who came to see her perform. She was happy to get to see them since Clancy only has a few months until he leaves on his mission. Evie belongs to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints where young people as young as 18 serve and teach away from home for up to 2 years. Just like Elder Gressman who served his mission in Evie’s town of Florence, Arizona, her friend Clancy will leave home in August to serve the people in Vina Del Mar, Chile.

Clancy has even helped Evie with lyrics for songs on her upcoming “Okay Day” Album that will be released June!

April 30, 2018

Evie Clair Performs from Philly to Maui

Evie Clair has been living her dream and traveling far distances to share her gift and her love. She recently had a beautiful opportunity to perform for an event called the Lime Light Gala. The formal concert supported the expansion of Nick’s House, a facility operated by the HEADstrong Foundation which provides complimentary lodging and community support to cancer patients and families who are displaced for experimental treatment in Philadelphia. She was so happy to be able to help support those who struggled the same way her family did just last year. Her own father actually looked into experimental treatment at the Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania and they were a part of this event. There are more resources for helping with treatment and travel costs than Evie’s father was aware of. Evie hopes that others will know and spread the word about the help available through the HEADstrong foundation. It was created by family members of a young man named Nick who started the foundation and was taken by cancer in the prime of his life. His family has worked tirelessly to make sure there is purpose in his sacrifice.

Evie Clair returned home from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Saturday and turned around to catch a plane for Maui, Hawaii on Monday. She has been very grateful to have set an early commitment to keep Sundays for rest and worship. She doesn’t believe she would be able to keep up her frantic pace if she didn’t have a day each week to slow down and remember where her blessings come from.

Maui was an absolute dream come true for Evie Clair who before America’s Got Talent, had never even been on an airplane! She is definitely an experienced traveler now, but going from the East Coast to the far reaches of Hawaii can cause a little jet lag. She went early to make sure she was rested up before the show and stayed a few days after the show to catch some waves and enjoy one of the most beautiful places on the planet.

This concert at the Four Seasons in Maui was for Trustmark, an employee benefits company. Since 1994 they have taken their Globetrotters incentive group through 24 years of unforgettable destinations all over the world. In every country they have visited they have showcased unforgettable performances like last year’s Phantom of the Opera performance in Budapest or Her Majesty’s Royal Scots Guard Bagpipers band in Scotland and the Vienna Boys Choir in Austria. This year they decided that since Hawaii is the 50th state they would remind them that America also has talent. They brought together a sample of the acts that have helped make America’s Got Talent the most popular show on television.

The show was brilliantly hosted by ventriloquist and comedian: Taylor Mason and included America’s Got Talent top acts from over the years including magician: Eric Jones, danger act: Deadly Games, light sand artist: Joe Castillo and singer: Evie Clair. It was a perfect balance of intrigue, excitement, entertainment, and heart and Evie will never forget it.

They arrived Monday night for an incredible luau at the Marriott in Wailea where Evie was pulled on stage by a local to do the hula. The next day was performance day and we were treated like royalty by The Four Seasons Hotel. We arrived for a sound check and decided to stop for lunch at their beachside restaurant. Evelyn tried calamari for the first time and the food and atmosphere were perfection. The waiter was probably the nicest person ever and he came out to let them know that the hotel was covering their lunch bill because they were just so thankful Evie had come to perform there. He then insisted on bringing out dessert which Evie’s brother, Porter, said was the best thing he had ever tasted in his life!

The days after the performance Evie Clair and her mother, brother and friend explored Maui. They had friends of her father’s, Steve and Kamie, who had recently moved to Maui from Idaho to start a touring business. They happened to live just a mile from her beach condo and were perfect tour guides. They introduced them to a local named Ina who taught the kids how to surf and then took them on an all day Road to Hana adventure in dune buggies where they stopped to jump off a waterfall, explore caves, eat coconut shrimp and see the black sand beach. Find more videos and pics on Evie’s Instagram account @evieclair