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Hines, Dr. Wallis G. “Wally” Hines, age 95, died October, 31, 2014 in Kalamazoo.
Born in Chicago, Ill. on Feb. 2, 1919, he was the fifth son of Herbert Waldo and Helen (Gartside) Hines. Raised in El Paso, Kankakee and Springfield, IL, he graduated from Springfield High School in 1935. Following two and a half years at the University of Illinois, he earned a B.S. degree in applied science from Michigan State College in 1941, and following WWII, he received an M.S. in organic chemistry from Michigan State University (MSU) in 1948, and in 1968, a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Louisiana State University.
He is survived by his wife, Lydia Elizabeth (Moissidou) Hines of Kalamazoo, two sons, Wallis Gartside (Lucilee) Hines Jr. of Peoria, IL, and George Herbert (Stephanie) Hines of Kensington, CA; three daughters, Nancy Katherine (David) Harnish of Palatine, IL, Elena Chryso Hines of Three Rivers, MI, and Edith Emily Hines of Madison, WI; one brother, Donald Alan (Jeannette) Hines of East Lansing; two sisters-in-law; three grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; three great-great-grandsons; many, many nieces, nephews and cousins. He was predeceased by one son, John Paul Hines; one grandson, Thomas Selvy Hines; six brothers, Herbert Waldo Hines Jr., Bedell Hines, Paul Henry Hines, Harold Cheney Hines, Marshall Hines and Burton Abbott Hines; two sisters, Marion Louise Dexheimer and Mildred Elizabeth Schuler.
Wallis served in WWII with the Third Chemical Mortar Battalion in Italy, France, Belgium and Germany. During his 65-year working life, Wallis was employed as a chemist by Ditzler Color Co. of Detroit, E. I. duPont at the Kankakee Ordnance Works of Joliet, IL, Michigan State Department of Agriculture Labs of Lansing, the Burlington Railroad, Armour Pharmaceutical Co., and The Upjohn Co. As a teacher, he spent 16 years as a professor and head of the chemistry department at Aurora College (now University) in Illinois, and had brief teaching assignments at Southwestern Michigan College in Dowagiac, Kalamazoo Valley Community College, and Nazareth College. He retired at age 84 after 20 years as director of chemistry labs at Kalamazoo College. He was a 67-year member of the American Chemical Society and served as officer and committee chair and in other capacities in the Joliet and Kalamazoo Sections. He served eight years as a member of Gideons International, and was a member of Berean Baptist Church in Portage. Whatever Wally did he pursued with a passion – and he had a passion for his genealogical research, which he began in 1970. He demanded perfection of himself and others and did everything to the best of his ability. His life verse was Galatians 6:2 “Bear ye one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ”.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Gideons – Kalamazoo Southeast Camp (P.O. Box 113 Portage, MI 49081) or to Camp Barakel, 1798 Shear Lake Road, Fairview, MI 48621
His body has been willed to the MSU Medical School; it will later be cremated and ashes scattered over Isaacs Harbour, Nova Scotia (ancestral home site). There will be no visitation or memorial service.
