William "Bill" Evans

William "Bill" Evans, age 90, of Avondale, Arizona, and formerly of Carroll passed away on, Thursday, March 26, 2015, at his home in Avondale. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 A.M. on Saturday, April 4, 2015 at the First United Methodist Church in Carroll with Rev. Dennis Bailey officiating. Visitation will be held at the Dahn and Woodhouse Funeral Home in Carroll from 5 – 7 P.M. on Friday. The casket will be moved to First United Methodist Church at 8:30 A.M. on Saturday where visitation will resume until the time of service. Music for the service will be by Ellen Severin. Casket bearers will be Todd Pettitt, Tom Reiman, Roger Fuller, Keith Petersen, Jim Sides, and Nash Evans-Hodgson. Honorary casket bearers will be Roger Hansen, George Crouse, John Norgaard, Mike Wittrock, Jr., Dick Hogan, Bob Witowski, Sarah Anderson, Ann Wilson, Dan Prescott, Steve Crane, Paul Stone and Jimmie Stone. Burial will be in the Carroll City Cemetery with military honors by the Carroll American Legion. The family suggests memorial be directed to the Bill Evans Foundation for Kids, c/o 508 North Court Street Carroll, IA 51401 and may also be left at the funeral home or the church. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Dahn and Woodhouse Funeral Home in Carroll and online condolences may be left for the family at www.dahnandwoodhouse.com Bill was born October 14, 1924 in Nevada, Iowa to Bert and Daisy Evans. At Nevada High School he excelled in football, basketball and baseball, graduating in 1942. In basketball he was named all-state first team in 1941 and 1942 by the Des Moines Register and The Associated Press. Bill led his 1942 team to the state tournament and his jersey was retired in 2006. He went on to attend Drake University where he played basketball and baseball. He put his athletic career on hold to serve in the U.S. Navy during World War II. After returning from the war he finished his college career with Drake earning Missouri Valley Conference team honors all four years. He was Iowa Athlete of the Year in 1949 and was named to the East-West All Star game played at Madison Square Garden. Bill earned his undergraduate degree from Drake University and later received his master's degree from Northeast Missouri State (now Truman State University) Kirksville, MO. Bill married Lois Prescott of Nevada in 1947 and they moved to Carroll in 1949. Bill played baseball for the Carroll Merchants (1949 to 1953) and began teaching and coaching for Carroll Community schools. “Coach Evans” was the physical education teacher at Fairview Elementary School when he retired in 1984. After his retirement, leaders in the community founded the Bill Evans Foundation for Kids to assist young people in need in the community. Bill received additional honors throughout his life. He was inducted into the Iowa Basketball Hall of Fame, the Iowa Officials Hall of Fame, received the Drake University Double D award and was named to the Drake All-Centennial team. In 1974 he was named citizen of the year from the Carroll Chamber of Commerce. Bill loved following sports and he especially enjoyed playing golf. He loved traveling and had a special fondness for road trips in the car with his wife, particularly when the road led to Carroll High Homecoming festivities. He was a licensed pilot, self-taught harmonica player, 40 year member of the Presbyterian Church and a member of the Masonic Lodge. He always enjoyed hearing from former students and was very proud and grateful of the work of the Foundation. Bill is survived by his wife of 67 years, Lois of Avondale, Arizona, daughters Kristee McGuirl (Jim) of Batavia, New York, Julee Evans-Hodgson of Maple Grove, Minnesota, Holly Evans of Minneapolis, Minnesota and Beth Halpern (Dave) of Scottsdale, Arizona, grandchildren Nash Evans-Hodgson of St. Paul, Minnesota and Alee Evans-Hodgson of Phoenix, Arizona, a sister, Connie Baxter of San Diego, California and brother-in-laws Roger Prescott (Bev) of Superior, Wisconsin and Dan Prescott (Bonnie) of Bettendorf, Iowa. Bill was preceded in death by his daughter, Robin, parents Bert and Daisy, and nine siblings.