William Harold Evans' Obituary
William “Bill” Evans, 87, of Bixby, Oklahoma, passed away peacefully on October 31, 2025, after a courageous battle with dementia. Born on April 25, 1938, in Kansas City, MO, Bill was known for his intelligence, honesty, and charm that shone through in every aspect of his life.
A proud graduate of Father Flanagan’s Boys Town, Nebraska, Class of 1956, Bill enlisted in the U.S. Army the same year. He completed basic training at Ft. Chaffee, Arkansas, and served honorably at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma as a Radio Operator, until his discharge to start his family in 1958. From there, Bill’s path reflected his remarkable versatility – first applying the printing trade he learned at Boys Town, and later finding his true calling in the equestrian world as a nationally recognized trainer of Arabian show horses, where he earned accolades in training methods, equine nutrition, and general equine husbandry. Bill continued to answer his equine calling until he sustained a career ending injury suffered while training a horse in 1995.
Because Bill could no longer ride horses, during his recovery, he began looking for another calling. He dabbled in ornithology, by raising exotic birds. But woodworking was his staple. Bill had been creating cabinets, gun cases, and other woodworking projects as a hobby for all his adult life, until Christmas of 2000 when he received a small woodturning lathe. The lathe opened a door for which he could combine his love for woodworking and his appreciation for art and soon began experimenting with techniques and styles in this new passion until he succumbed to the onset of dementia in 2023.
Bill’s gregarious and affable personality magnetized people to him… like one of his heroes, Will Rogers, who said, “A stranger is just someone he hadn’t met yet.” His charm, sense of humor, and generosity offered no enemies, energizing himself to all those around him. As such, he was always asked to fill leadership roles in every organization, formal and ad hoc, of which he was a member.
Bill is predeceased by his mother, Lula Mae Toates, and his daughter Judith Evans. He is survived by his wife, Susan, and their daughter Jessi and her spouse and their child; his first wife, Elaine, and their son, Darren, their daughters, Julie, Christy, Joanie, their son Jim, and their daughter Jennifer and their spouses, children, and grandchildren. Collectively and proudly, he has 32 grandchildren, step-grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren.
Services will be held to celebrate the long, rich and wonderful life of Bill Evans on December 8, 2025 at 12:30, at Floral Haven Funeral Home Chapel.
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