William Bugbee, PhD

william bugbee, phd
Dr. William Maynard Bugbee, 82, West Fargo, ND passed away on Saturday, September 30, 2017 at Essentia Health in Fargo. He was born in Clinton, IA on May 13, 1935, the son of Florence (Moscrip) and Maynard Bugbee. Always proud of his accomplishments from a very humble beginning, he was able to work his way through the University of Iowa and graduated in 1957 with a Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree with a major in botany and minors in chemistry and German. He was drafted into the peacetime army from 1958-1960 and served as a Physical Science Technician at the U.S. Army Chemical Center in Edgewood, MD. On March 15, 1957 Bill married Joy Mae Bryant in St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Clinton, IA. He continued his education and earned a Master’s Degree in 1962 and a PhD in 1965 from the University of Minnesota majoring in Plant Pathology. He was a research plant pathologist for 30 years for the Agricultural Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He started his career in Portageville, MO researching cotton diseases where his research helped growers reduce their losses to cotton seeding diseases. Bill later transferred to the campus of North Dakota State University for the remainder of his tenure where he researched diseases of sugar beets. He was Research Leader of the Sugar Beet Research Unit for twelve years. Bill was an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Plant Pathology. He published 85 research papers, one book chapter and developed breeding lines of sugar beets with resistance to storage pathogens. Bill’s research gave a better understanding of losses in storage piles and the pathogens that cause the losses. Other research revealed the resistance of a leaf spot pathogen to specific fungicides. This finding prompted the search for new fungicides and alternative methods of application. He received a Meritorious Service Award in 1994 from the American Society of Sugar Beet Technologists and was a member of the honorary professional societies of Sigma Xi and Alpha Gamma Delta and a member of Who’s Who in the Midwest for 1980-1981. William enjoyed fishing (catch and release), woodworking, gardening, the Internet, and activities with his wife, Joy, at their lake home on Loon Lake near Vergas, MN. He was an active member of Faith Lutheran Church, West Fargo, serving on the Lay Ministry Board and various volunteer activities. He also attended a Lectionary Bible study for several years at Olivet Lutheran Church. Bill is survived by his wife, Joy; children, Pamela (born at the U.S. Army Hospital Aberdeen Proving Grounds, MD); Brian (born in St. Paul, MN; William (Begona) (born in Hayti, MO); Jennifer (born in Sikeston, MO); and grandchildren, William A. and Zachary. He was preceded in death by his parents. There will be a funeral service at 11:00 AM on Thursday, October 5, 2017 at Faith + Journey Lutheran Church, West Fargo with a visitation one hour prior.

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  1. I’m sorry to hear your loss of your father my prayers go out to you all Meggi & I (Bob & I’s daughter) are on Facebook..

  2. Oh, Jen. I am so sorry to learn about your father’s death.Nothing I can say would make you feel better right now, but I want to express my condolences to you, your mom and siblings, and to the rest of your family. Your dad was always such a nice person to everyone. May he rest in peace and watch over you.

  3. Several years ago, Bill e-mailed me to ask permission to attend a Bible Study at Olivet Lutheran. His presence in our study was a gift to all who gathered to study the lessons for each Sunday. Sometimes he would bring Zach to the study and that too was a gift. He shared his faith freely and was an inspiration to others. His insight into scripture always challenged us and brought new understanding to faith. He will be dearly missed by all who had the honor of knowing him. My sincere condolences to the whole family.

  4. My husband and I met Bill at Olivet’s Bible study and we also went to a book study with him. He helped make the studies interesting. I really admired how he brought himself to come to believe in God! Rest in peace, friend! God be with your family and bring them comfort.
    Alice & Darrold Engel

  5. We both knew Bill from our days in Plant Pathology at NDSU. He was a good colleague and a really great guy. My office was just a door away from his room and we often shared fishing stories and other congenial conversations. We both have many fine memories of Bill. Our sincere condolences to Joy and family.
    Bob Stack, Pat Donald, Opelika, Alabama.

  6. So very sorry to hear of Bill’s death. I will dearly miss his visits to the clinic with the canine members of the family. It is so wonderful to hear he had such a strong faith and I hope there is some comfort in knowing he is with our Savior right now. Deepest sympathy to the entire family he left behind.

  7. Joy and Family
    Judy and I are sorry to learn of Bill’s death. We first met in 1972 when I interviewed with him and then moved to Fargo in 1973. We worked together until 1986. We had some good times.
    Darrell and Judy Cole, Athens, GA


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