William John Nyara, Jr.
May 30, 1955 – December 13, 2022
William “Bill” J. Nyara, Jr., of Meridian, ID, passed away in the afternoon of December 13, 2022, with his family at his side.
The youngest child of William and Jean Nyara, he was born on Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana in 1955, and spent parts of his childhood in England and Idaho before the family landed in Gresham, OR in his adolescence. He spent his teenage years as an avid fisherman with his father along the rivers of the Pacific Northwest, and studied Fisheries at Mount Hood Community College. He married his first love Robbie Mosby at the age of 21, and began working for the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife at the Sandy fish hatchery. Their daughter Abby was born soon after, and in 1980 they transferred to the hatchery in Chiloquin, OR, where they had their son Charlie. A move to Madras, OR followed, where they settled for 18 of the next 20 years. He took on his first manager role at the Siletz hatchery in 1985, and returned to Madras in 1987, running that facility until 2000. He established deep roots in Central Oregon, serving the community through various roles in the local Little League, from coaching to umpiring to president of the organization, while also playing a critical role in the development of the Juniper Hills Park sports complex. He participated in the town bowling league, and discovered his enjoyment of golf. Adapting his fishing style to the environment, he could often be found trolling his boat on the waters of Lake Billy Chinook, when not speeding around to the delight of his children. He became a successful deer and elk hunter in the area, and helped impress a love and respect of nature onto his family. After both children graduated and went off to their universities, he and Robbie moved to Sweet Home, OR, where he managed the Foster hatchery until he retired from the ODFW after 31 years of impeccable service. Following his retirement from the state, he and Robbie formed a local real estate tandem with a personal touch. They fulfilled another dream by building their home on riverfront acreage on the South Santiam, even equipped with a drift boat pullout ramp to facilitate his steelhead fishing endeavors. In 2018 he and Robbie retired fully, and soon moved to Meridian, ID, to be near Abby and her family of three grandchildren. Despite the pandemic limiting their travel plans, he continued to enjoy attending the grandchildren’s sporting events, boating on Lucky Peak reservoir, and trying to inspire a passion for fishing. He built a community of friends in Meridian and was a fixture at the local golf course. In late December, 2021, he received his surprise cancer diagnosis. Though the outlook was dire, he did everything possible to extract as many days as possible, undergoing four different types of chemotherapy over the next 11 months. He fought an inspiring battle with all he had to give, and his final weeks were spent with the love of his wife, children, and grandchildren.
Bill was preceded in death by his parents, William Sr and Wilma Jean Nyara (Thorpe), and his brother Gary Nyara. He is survived by his wife Robbie Nyara (Mosby), daughter Abby Mozes (Nyara) of Boise, ID, son Charlie Nyara of Portland, OR, his four grandchildren Dylan, Cameron, and Elle Mozes and Oliver Nyara, and his sisters Karen Alvarez and Donna Sanders of the Gresham, OR area. He’s also remembered by the wide array of family, friends, and colleagues he made along his path. His humor, grit, and commitment to integrity won’t be forgotten, and he’ll be missed dearly.
A reception will be held on January 21, 2023, at Water’s Edge event center in Eagle, ID, at 4pm. Later this spring, his remains will be spread into the Sandy River, to be reunited with his father in the place they loved.
In lieu of flowers or gifts, he’s requested that donations be made to either of two groups he greatly appreciated in his final journey: Idaho2Fly and St. Luke’s Cancer Institute .