[Nfbk] Will D Evans

[Kevin Pearl]

Will D Evans
(1935 - 2016)
William D. "Will" Evans, 80, of Saint Matthews, KY, passed away Monday evening at his home with his loving family by his side. Will was born December 15, 1935 in Callaway County, KY to the late Milburn and Allene Dunn Evans. He was the retired Superintendent of the Kentucky School for the Blind. He came to the school is a young man in 1946 to study. He had suffered an eye injury in a school bus accident in Calloway County when he was 19. He held a high school diploma from both the blind school and Atherton High School. He attended Murray State University and in 1957 received a degree in physical education and social studies. He returned to the blind school to teach physical education and coach the wresting and track team. He has a master's degree in guidance and counseling from Murray, and a degree from George Peabody College, Nashville, TN, in special education. He has attended Indiana University, Bellarmine College, Louisville, and took a special course at Little Rock, AK in new techniques of traveling of the blind. As superintendent, Mr. Evans hopes to continue the school's "good program," emphasize career education and expand mobility training. The career emphasis comes because "I believe that getting a job-becoming independent -is a goal for everybody," He felt his sight issue, might have been an advantage. "I feel that (my experiences) obviously give me more of an understand of how parents and children feel." With his visual handicap, he finds he is constantly changing roles. As he was being interviewed for an article about his role at the school, he mentioned as we sit here and talk, I'm a sighted person as far as your're concerned. But if I were going to pick up a piece of paper and read it now, I'd become a blind person because I can't read the regular-size type. So you find yourself constantly jumping from one role to another. From attending school, to being a teacher, coach, dean of students and principal and becoming the Superintendent, Will spent over half of his life with Kentucky School for the Blind. It would seem that Will's whole life is bound up with the school. He and his family lived on the campus. He met his wife Barbara there. They were at Atherton together, but it wasn't until he returned to teach and she was working as a secretary at the school for the blind that they became acquainted. He was also a member of the Louisville East End Lions Club, and Clifton Christian Church. He is survived by his loving wife of 57 years, Barbara Parker Evans, his two children Susan Evans Teaford (Chad) of Louisville, and Daniel Brian Evans of Bloomington, IN, his two grandchildren William Kyle and Neal Patrick Johnson, and his sister Anne Brockman and brother Dan K. Evans. A service to celebrate Will's life will be held at 10 am Friday by the Rev. Garry Rolllins, in the chapel of Arch L. Heady-Cralle Funeral Home, 2428 Frankfort Ave. with entombment to follow at Resthaven Memorial Park. Visitation will be held 2-8 pm Thursday, and after 9 am Friday. Expressions of sympathy are requested to Hosparus of Louisville, or to the Kentucky School for the Blind Charitable Foundation.