Phares Steavens Nye

RALEIGH- Phares S. Nye, 85, passed away early Tuesday. He was a beloved husband, father, and great-grandfather; an admired educator, administrator, and community college advocate; an avid hunter, welder, and backyard tinkerer; and a brilliant teller of long stories and tall tales that got funnier and more elaborate with each new telling. He grew up on a tobacco farm in Rennert, NC, the youngest of five children of the late George and Edna Nye. He achieved the rank of Sergeant First Class in the US Army and 1st Lieutenant in the NC National Guard. He earned a Doctorate of Education in Vocational and Industrial Education from North Carolina State University and had a long and distinguished career in post-secondary education, eventually retiring as Vice President Emeritus, Wake Technical Community College. An educator to his core, a teacher in his soul, he never missed an opportunity to say, “Let me show you how” when a curious onlooker asked about a project. An active community volunteer, he built and painted signs for local fundraisers, he cooked and served at Exchange Club breakfasts, he mowed grass at the Swift Creek Community Center and at the Masonic Lodge, he cooked jambalaya for the Barn Gang. If a friend or neighbor needed a hand, he was always there. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Margaret McPhaul Nye, daughter HollyAnn Nye Rogers and her husband Dennis, step granddaughter Denise Rogers, great granddaughters Maddie and Jessie Maynor, sister Faye Ostrom, and numerous nieces and nephews and other family members. The family will receive friends and relatives Saturday, November 16 from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. at Bryan-Lee Funeral Home, Garner. Military Honors will commence at 4:45 p.m. In lieu of flowers, please consider contributing to the Dr. Phares S. Nye Vocational and Technical Degree Scholarship. Please make checks payable to Wake Tech Foundation, 9101 Fayetteville Rd, Raleigh, NC 27603.