William "Bill" J. Nye

William “Bill” Nye, Sr., age 89, passed away peacefully from Alzheimer’s Disease on Friday, January 2nd, 2026, at SharonBrooke in Newark, Ohio. He was born March 25, 1936, in Columbus Ohio, to the late Ben and Mary Nye.  He graduated from Aquinas in 1954.

Bill is preceded in death by his parents Ben and Mary, son Brian Nye, brother Ben, & sister Maryanne Young. He is survived by his loving wife of 66 years Betty, his children Bill Nye Jr, Dan (Wendy) Nye and Kathy (Mark) Trace, brother Tom (Melanie) Nye, sister Christine (Geoff) Schleicher, his grandchildren Bryan, Daniel, Betsy, Abby, Tony, and Kelly, and great grandchildren as well.

Bill was a dedicated family man who loved to tell a good story.  He was not a traveler but took his family to Burr Oak State Park in 1973 where they rented a cabin for a week, fished, swam, played tennis, hiked, and had a blast (Bill made breakfast every morning for everyone).  This turned into a tradition where the kids, grandkids, and great grandkids all go and has continued for over 50 years.  He loved having the family all together!  His favorite hobby was gardening and chances are if you came to the house at any time when the temperature was above 40, he would be out doing yardwork and he had a garden that was breathtaking.  If too cold to garden yet cold enough for snow, he would be snow blowing the neighborhood sidewalks. 

Bill had over 50 years of volunteer service at St. Charles, and selflessly represented what it means to be “Your Brother’s Keeper.”

When his friend, Don Henne, A.D., asked him to help, Bill organized the St. Charles booster club and never stopped.  He ran concessions for multiple sports, grilled on circus days, organized wrestling tournaments, helped with fundraising events, and so much more, but was best known recently for his years of volunteering in the cafeteria.

Most meaningful to Bill was the St. Charles Annual Blood Drive.  After years of giving the “gift of life”, Bill along with Nurse Betsy Mason, founded the St Charles blood drive in 1987 which resulted in a record of donations each year among high schools in Ohio. Bill continued to donate blood himself at the local Red Cross, and he helped cancer patients whenever called upon with over 100 apheresis donations.  Bill and his wife, Betty, were presented with the Borromean Medal from St. Charles in 1998 for their dedication and distinguished service.  Someone mentioned that “Heaven gained a Volunteer Angel on January 2nd “, and we could not agree more!

Friends may visit Thursday 6-8 p.m. at EGAN-RYAN FUNERAL HOME, 403 E. BROAD ST.  Mass of Christian Burial will be Friday 10:30 a.m. in the Chapel at St. Charles Borromeo Preparatory School, 2010 E. Broad St.  Burial will follow at St. Joseph Cemetery.  Friends who wish may contribute to St. Charles Preparatory School Bill and Dan Nye Scholarship Fund or the Alzheimer’s Association.