William "Bill" George Evans

WILLIAM “BILL” GEORGE EVANS was born on May 31, 1934, in Grinnell, Iowa. Bill was the oldest of five children born to the late Russell Paul Evans and Ruth Marguerite (Brown) Evans.

Bill was raised on the family farm outside of Grinnell, Iowa. In 1942 his parents and younger brother Richard moved to Yucaipa, California where his father worked on a dairy farm. At a young age, Bill learned the value of hard work as he spent many hours with his father to clear the land of trees and help with chores on the Jersey dairy farm. The family lived in a two-room cabin with electricity but no running water or bathroom. Bill attended Oak Glen School in Yucaipa. In 1945 the family purchased a dairy and moved to Monrovia, California, where Bill continued his education to include two years at Monrovia High School. In 1950 the family moved to Myrtle Point, Oregon and purchased a dairy farm. Bill is a graduate of the Myrtle Point High School Class of 1952.

In January 1953 Bill joined the United States Marine Corps and completed boot camp and combat training in San Diego, California. He was soon deployed to support military action in the Korean War. Bill recalls he traveled on a ship where some of the soldiers disembarked in Kobe, Japan while he and many other marines traveled on to Korea. Bill shared “From here God was in control of my life. I could tell a lot of stories about this place, but maybe later.” Bill seldom spoke of his military duties and action in the war, but rather focused on the new life he would build upon returning to the States. In June 1955 Bill was stationed at Camp Pendleton in California and was discharged in June 1956. It was during this time that he attended church services and met Dixie – it was love at first sight.

He was united in marriage to Dixie Ann Gebhard on October 14, 1955, in Norwalk, California. They celebrated over 66 years of marriage together. Following their marriage, they moved to Oregon where Bill received his education and teaching certificate at Western Oregon University in Monmouth and Masters at Linfield College in McMinnville while serving the community as a volunteer firefighter with Polk County Fire District No. 1. Bill was a dedicated teacher instructing math and science courses at Poynter Junior High School in Hillsboro where Bill created and taught an Oceanography class that included a trip to coast for the students, many of whom shared they had never gone to the coast. Following a 30-year teaching career, he retired in 1991 and accepted a position with Nalley’s Fine Foods as a Field Representative where he enjoyed working with farmers to harvest their cucumber crops. Bill was a Deacon and active member of the New Life Baptist Church faith community. He enjoyed lapidary and making jewelry with polished stones. However, his number one joy was attending sports, school programs and other functions with his grandchildren.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents, Russell and Ruth Evans, brother Richard “Dick” Evans, and grandson Kyle Meyers.

Surviving is his wife, Dixie Evans, of Hillsboro, Oregon, his son, William “Russell” and Annette Evans, of Cornelius, Oregon, his two daughters, Sharen Evans, of Hillsboro, Oregon, and Ruth Meyers, of Beaverton, Oregon, his sister Nadina and Doug Niles, of Corona, California, and two brothers, Evan “Butch” and Julie Evans, of Albany, Oregon, and David “Bud” and Elena Evans, of Washington.

Also surviving are his six grandchildren, Matthew and Taya Evans, Amy and Warren Moreno, Alicia and Brian Cessna, Mary and Casey Watkins, Elizabeth Plumlee-Evans, and Aaron and Tisha Meyers, his fourteen great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.

The family suggests that remembrances may be contributions to the charity of their choice in his memory.