William Dale Coombs

Coombs, William Dale, P.E., Hilliard, Ohio, died July 11, 2026. Bill was born April 15, 1937, in Dayton, Ohio, the son of the late William Jennings Bryan and Olive Smith Coombs. Preceded in death by his son, Scott Edward Coombs (1997).

Bill graduated from Kaiser High School in Dayton, Ohio, and from The Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree. He also attended Fenn College (now Cleveland State University), Wittenberg University, and the National Management Association's Advanced Management Institute in Dayton, Ohio.

As a Professional Engineer, Bill worked for Helmig Lienesch & Associates, Varo Engineers Limited, East Ohio Machinery Company, Mid-Ohio Mechanical, Brooks Contracting, Inc., General Motors Corporation, Price Brothers Company, Armco Steel Corporation; also, as an independent consulting engineer; and as an Adjunct Instructor, The Ohio State University, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geodetic Engineering. In 2014, Bill was awarded the Outstanding Civil Engineering Alumni Award by the Civil Engineering Alumni Society.

He was on the Board of Directors and Past Treasurer of the Civil Engineering Alumni Society at The Ohio State University; Past Chairman of the Property Committee and Board of Trustees; and Usher at Trinity United Methodist Church.

Bill belonged to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), the Ohio State Alumni Association (Lifetime), the Civil Engineering Alumni Society, the Faculty Club, the Ohio State University, the National Rifle Association (NRA), and the Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity (TKE).

Bill was interested in flying and held a pilot’s license. He was an avid Ohio State football and basketball fan and enjoyed watching the Cincinnati Reds, Cincinnati Bengals, and Cleveland Browns (when they were not playing the Bengals!).

Along with his wife, Barbara, Bill has founded the Dr. Hamilton Gray Scholarship Fund for civil engineering students in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geodetic Engineering, The Ohio State University.

Bill is survived by his wife, Barbara Bidwell Gray Coombs; by a daughter, Julia Elizabeth Coombs (Rick) Troiani, Wenonah, New Jersey; step-son and wife, Charles Hamilton (Patricia) Gray, Wallingford, Connecticut, and West Gardiner, Maine; three step-grandchildren, Hamilton Charles Gray, Owen Charles Gray, and Elizabeth Faith Gray; sister-in-law, Betty Jane Creagan, Hilliard, Ohio; brother-in-law and wife, Robert Ellis (Sue) Bidwell, Howard, Ohio; step-niece and husband, Beverly Renée (Mathew) Chopin, Johnstown, Ohio; step-great-nephew, Mathew Bidwell Chopin; step-nephew and wife, Christopher Carl (Jodie) Creagan, Marysville, Ohio; step-great-nephew and wife, Brandon Carl (Sury Jo) Creagan, Fort Pierce, Florida; step-great-great niece, Zoey Grace Creagan, Fort Pierce, Florida, and other relatives and friends in the Dayton, Ohio, area.

The family thanks 360Care Hospice for their care of Bill and to Dr. David G. Stockwell for his kindness and support during Bill’s illness.

Like Bill would often say, “Making pipe and moving west.” He is now!

Private services are for the family. In place of flowers, donations to be made in Bill’s memory to The Ohio State University, Dr. Hamilton Gray Scholarship Fund, No. 482032, 3043 Smith Laboratory, 174 West 18th Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43210-1369, or to Trinity United Methodist Church, 1581 Cambridge Boulevard, Columbus, Ohio 43212-2713.

Please visit www.schoedinger.com to share memories and condolences. Funeral arrangements entrusted to SCHOEDINGER NORTHWEST.