Rex Eugene Bills, age 88, of Beaverton, OR died July 24, 2023 in Portland, OR. He was born April 10, 1935 to Pearl M. Boyden & Loren Bills on a farm in Perry, Iowa. His parents adopted his only sibling, Roger, born in 1930. In 1942, the family was shaken by the untimely death of their 42 year old father; the family moved from the farm in to the city of Perry.
Rex attended the University of Iowa at Iowa City and paid his way by working for the school’s photo department processing photos, particularly for the college newsletter and briefly as a lifeguard. He dearly loved photography. He joined Delta Tau Delta through which he met the love of his life, Diana Henkle. They married August 12, 1956. He was drafted into the Army and served in the reserves. They were married for 18 and ½ years. During that time, Rex worked for Kodak and started his own business reproducing tapes of radio programs that aired during the Golden Age of radio.
In 1973, Rex & Diana moved to Oregon, at which time, he came out of the closet. Although they divorced, they remained best of friends throughout their lives. After their divorce, Diana became a nationally known astrologer and wrote several books on Astrology. Rex became interested enough in astrology to write his own book, The Rulership Book in 1971, which is still in publication. The book is considered the best book ever written on rulerships. When Diana died in April, 2018, it was a blow to Rex as he was her soulmate.
Before he retired, Rex and a friend opened one of the first video stores in Portland, Video Gold, which specialized in old classical movies. After selling the store, Rex continued to be interested in video store management. One of his former employees bought Video Gold and hired Rex as an employee.
Fortunately, Rex had two soulmates. He met Christopher Johnson in June 1988. As both of them are INFJ’s, there was an immediate attraction which lasted 35 years. They had a commitment service September 28,1994 and were married September 28, 2014.
Rex was a gentle, sweet, loving soul. To meet Rex was to love him. Friends describe him as a refined, kind and dignified gentleman who made great guacamole and delicious pies. He was a great humorist and conversationalist, especially across generations. Rex liked nothing more than having a date night at home with Chris watching a video or streaming a show. Although Rex enjoyed spending time alone or with Chris, he was a gracious host and enjoyed helping Chris prepare meals for friends. His death leaves a horrible loneliness, and an empty space in the lives of those he left behind.
Rex was preceded in death by his parents, his ex-wife, Diana in 2018 and his adopted brother, Roger in 2019. He is survived by his son, David and his beloved husband, Christopher Johnson.
Friends are invited to join in a celebration of Rex’s life on Saturday, September 30th, 2:00 – 4:00 pm at the BodyVox Dance Studio. https://www.bodyvox.com/#3
In lieu of flowers, consider a donation to BodyVox Dance.