William T. Evans

On Aug. 11, 2018, former New Ross resident William T. Evans, MD, passed away peacefully in Scottsdale, Ariz., at the age of 74 after a brief battle with cancer.

In 1961, Bill graduated from New Ross High School, where the popular farmboy received many scholastic and athletic awards, including captaincy of the "Cinderella Story" Blue Jay basketball team that had the best record in the state and made it all the way to the Sweet Sixteen.

He was awarded a Rector Scholarship to attend DePauw University and completed his degree in premedical science in 1965.

Following four years of medical school at Indiana University, his MD license was issued in 1969, and desiring a warmer climate to pursue his medical career, he moved to Phoenix and began a one-year rotating internship at Good Samaritan Hospital. In a time when the country was at war in Vietnam, he also chose to enlist as a physician in the USAF reserve unit at Luke Air Force Base in Phoenix.

For the next 43 years he specialized in emergency medicine, choosing to avoid the restrictions of office-bound matters and being on call. He also decided to "moonlight" at various emergency rooms around the valley, covering nights and weekends for specialists and family doctors.

He completed his medical journey at the Arizona Heart Hospital in 2013, hoping to hang up his stethoscope and head to the golf course.

Bill is survived by wife Debbie, daughter Kelsey and son Christopher of Scottsdale, Ariz.; brother Patrick (Shannon) of Greencastle; niece Shelly (Ed) Leonida of Arlington Heights, Ill.; brother-in-law Knox (Marsha) Rodgers and their children Kelly, Matthew and Allison of Atlanta. Bill also has numerous other cousins, aunts and uncles that survive.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Tom and Nina Evans of New Ross.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the American Cancer Society.

A memorial service and celebration of life will be held on Saturday, Sept. 29 at 11 a.m. at Valley Presbyterian Church in Scottsdale.