Dr. Evan E. McFee, 88, of Bowling Green, Ohio, passed away Sunday, May 5, 2019. He was born May 3, 1931, in Franklin County, Indiana to Stanley and Frances (Chance) McFee. He married Shirley Bilby Newkirk (widow of Robert Newkirk) on August 8, 1964, and she survives in Bowling Green.
Evan enlisted in the Army in 1952 and trained in electronics and signals communications. He was very proud to have served at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Rocquencourt, France, outside of Paris. He rose to the rank of Corporal and received the National Defense Service Medal. He was also his Division’s checkers champion.
He received his B.A. from Purdue University in 1959, his M.A. from Ball State University in 1963, and Ed. D. from Indiana University in 1967.
Early in his career, he worked as an adjuster for State Farm Insurance, and as a biology and physical science teacher at Muncie Central High School (in Indiana). Evan worked for over 30 years as a professor of Science Education at Bowling Green State University. He enjoyed both his students and the subject matter. He was active at the State level, serving as Chair of the selection committee for the Ohio Biology Teacher Award, and Chair of the Ohio State Science Day in Columbus. He taught many off-campus classes throughout N.W. Ohio, where he brought his favorite pedagogical tools for scientific inquiry, i.e., his famous “black boxes”.
Evan served two summers as a visiting professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. In addition, he organized and led a class of graduate students on a five-week field study through the western United States.
Evan had a lifelong love of travel. He traveled throughout North America, with a particular focus on National Parks and historic and geological places of interest. After retirement, he also enjoyed traveling in Europe and to India.
He was a man of many interests and endless curiosity. In addition to travel, he loved to read history and biographies (particularly from the 1920s and 1930s), home and car repairs, polka dancing, checkers (no one could beat him), never missed Jeopardy, and was a faithful member of the “coffee group” at Grounds for Thought.
He was a member of the First United Methodist Church; Masonic Lodge, Connersville, Indiana; and Family Advisory Committee, Ohio Developmental Disabilities, Columbus, Ohio.
Survivors: his wife Shirley. Children: Susan Newkirk McFee, Berlin, Germany; Jane Sheetz, Cincinnati, Ohio; Dr. Daniel (Rev. Rebecca) McFee, Fort Collins, CO; Karen McFee, Bowling Green. Grandchildren: Elizabeth Sheetz, Giles McFee, Kevin Sheetz, Isaac McFee. Brother: Dr. Donald R. McFee, Naperville, IL. Sister: Patricia (Norman) Wiley, Connersville, IN.
His funeral service will be held on Wednesday May 8, 2019 at 12:00 p.m. at Dunn Funeral Home, located in the Historical District of Bowling Green at 408 West Wooster St. Pastor Amy Miller will officiate. Interment will follow at Oak Grove Cemetery in Bowling Green. Visitation will be held Wednesday morning at the funeral home from 10:00 a.m. until the time of the service at Noon.
Memorials should go to the Wood County Board of Developmental Disabilities (Wood Lane), Wood County Committee on Aging or First United Methodist Church in Bowling Green.
To share an online condolence with the McFee family please visit www.dunnfuneralhome.com.
