Obituary
William “Bill” Bohs passed away at age 92 in Durham, North Carolina. He was born in Elkhart, Indiana to William Carl and Nellie Rohrer Bohs. Bill had two older sisters, Betty (Bette) and Dorothy (Dort), and two younger brothers, Gordon (Gordie) and Robert (Bob).
Bill attended Lutheran Grade School and Elkhart High School, where he excelled at sports. In high school he played baseball, was the captain of the cross-country team and set a longstanding record for the 10-mile run. From 1946 to 1948 he was in the Navy V-5 Program and then joined the U.S. Navy Air Corps flight school until 1949. He then attended Purdue University, where he met his future wife Jean Kathryn Story. After graduating in 1952, Bill and Jean were married in 1953 in St. Louis, Missouri.
In Elkhart, Bill worked for 5 summers at Miles Laboratories where his dad also worked. After moving to St. Louis, he worked at the U.S. Defense Corps munitions plant in St. Louis in Methods Engineering. Soon thereafter, he took a job as an industrial engineer with White-Rodgers, a division of Emerson Electric, until his retirement in 1992.
While in St. Louis, Bill and Jean lived in Moline Acres in north St. Louis County. There they raised their two children, Lynn and Larry, as well as their beloved dog Tonja. Bill continued running and competed in several 10K’s, 10 milers, and half-marathons. At age 63, Bill ran in the St. Louis Marathon, finishing 3rd in his age group in well under four hours. He was an accomplished golfer and played regularly into his upper 80’s.
Anyone who knew Bill knows that he was a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan. In northern Indiana, Bill grew up listening to the Cubs games on the radio. He followed the team carefully and always hopefully through their many years of losing seasons, joyfully celebrating their world series win in 2016. In St. Louis, the Bohs family would often attend Cubs games at Busch Stadium where Bill would steadfastly root for the Cubs while the rest of the family cheered on the Cardinals.
After retirement, Bill traveled extensively with his wife Jean and enjoyed sports and wildlife watching. In 1998, Bill and Jean moved to Durham, North Carolina, where they spent 20 years on a wooded property in the North Highland neighborhood. This allowed them to be close to their son Larry, daughter-in-law Libby, and grandchildren Hally and Liam. Bill was an active volunteer with Habitat for Humanity, where he worked with the “Geezers” group as an electrician. The Geezers were friends as well and would regularly meet for lunch and play golf. In 2018, Bill and Jean moved into an apartment in Croasdaile Village in Durham, where they lived until his passing.
Bill is survived by his children Lynn of Salt Lake City, Utah and Larry, grandchildren Hally and Liam, and daughter in-law Libby Searles-Bohs, all of Durham.
Bill deeply valued personal connections with others, from his family and friends to checkers at the grocery store. His life was full of activity, including long hikes with Tonja, daily exercise into his 90s, and extensive travel with his wife Jean. Bill had an easy laugh and an infectious enthusiasm. Not many enjoyed a good sports game – especially Cubs baseball, or his grandson Liam’s ultimate frisbee matches – more than Bill. Bill/Dad/PaPa was a loving husband, father and grandfather – he would doubtless say these were his most important roles in life. We all miss him dearly.
Interment will be at Bluestem Conservation Cemetery on October 11, 2024. Please contact the family at 919-382-9890 (voice only) for more information on the service.
