William ‘Bill’ Rue Evans
- Published: June 9, 2025
On Tuesday, May 27, 2025, William “Bill” Rue Evans passed away at the age of 95.
Born June 15, 1929, in Steubenville, Ohio, to the late William and Margaret Evans, Bill grew up in Follansbee, West Virginia. Bill attended Follansbee High School, then joined the U.S. Air Force in 1947, serving until 1952, when he enrolled at West Liberty University. At West Liberty, he received a BS in chemistry and met his wife, Phyllis. Bill and Phyllis married in 1956. Bill continued his education by obtaining an MS from North Carolina State University and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Purdue University in 1960.
Bill began his career as a researcher for Philip Morris. From there he went on to work at Brookhaven National Laboratory as a researcher before coming to Charles F. Kettering Research Laboratory in Yellow Springs, Ohio, in 1963. At the Kettering lab, he did research “in photosynthesis and nitrogen fixation.” After the transfer of the lab in 1984 to the Battelle Institute in Columbus, Bill started his final employment as a researcher at Wright State University, working with Wayne Carmichael, Ph.D.
Bill was known for his caring and quiet manner. Over the years he enjoyed traveling with his family and getting together with friends. He traveled to Japan, France, Costa Rica and numerous places throughout the United States and Canada. He spent many summer vacations at Holden Beach, North Carolina, with his family. Some of his hobbies included squash, biking and fly fishing. He was a long time volunteer for the Greene County Democratic Party.
Bill is survived by his wife of 68 years, Phyllis (née Glauser); his two children, Paul (Donna Acton) Evans and Onica (Yutaka) Nakakura; grandchildren William (Kim LeCuyer) Evans, Melanie Evans, Joe Nakakura, Ray (Zonnie Rees) Nakakura, Ken Nakakura and Shawn Nakakura; and great-grandchildren Oscar and Arthur Nakakura. Bill also leaves behind a sister, Ellen Leatherman, of Morgantown, West Virginia. Bill was preceded in death by his granddaughter Elizabeth Rose Evans.
Bill chose to donate his body to the Wright State University School of Medicine in lieu of a funeral. A private celebration of life will be held at a later date.
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