06/09/09

Bills Eulogy by Jim Willis,

I'd like to share a few words with you about the admirable traits of my brother Bill. I spent allot of time with Bill over the last 20 years. Especially the last ten in Seattle.

I think this is my third time thru the 7 stages of grief. The shock, pain, anger, depression, the glimmer of light, and a rebound with acceptance and real hope. Sometimes I get stuck at pain and anger but because I am stronger & smarter than that, I as well as the rest of us should stay positive in this trying time.

If he were here he wouldn’t want to be the center of attention, he would have us relish in the happiness we still have in all of our lives and to really appreciate being together in this big beautiful family.

Ultimately Bill was a family man and extremely proud of his family and proud to be part of a BIG family. He was equally proud of his wide circle of friends

We both have great memories growing up on Mobile Ct. here in Dogtown, great memories playing with cousins in & around grandma’s house on Lloyd. Bill was remembered here at St James as a real smart aleck. The nuns were always calling him Fred and since he respected uncle Fred so much, he changed his middle name to Fred. And boy oh boy much like Uncle Fred, Billy Fred was really strong with a grip like a vise.

Bill made fast friends at Bishop DuBourg High School and many of those friends were with us last night and are here today. After HS he came to Springfield where he bunked with me for a summer. We introduced him to the Ozarks including smallmouth bass fishing on the Flat creek, four wheeling in the Big Piney and Deer & Turkey hunting outside of Monett. He loved his time in Springfield especially his time with Uncle Dave and Aunt Rita’s family and we often sat talking about our time in the Ozarks as some of the most enjoyable days of our lives.

Bill often took the past least traveled - After college B traveled abroad and worked in Europe ‘a couple times’ - often staying with Chris and Kathy. When he returned he was a little more seasoned and landed a good job. Ever confident he transferred to Seattle where he Eventually met a wonderful woman from a wonderful family and settled down to the family life with Kathy and Tara in Beautiful Bonney Lake WA.

He was hard-working guy and absolutely fearless, In order to care for his family When things got tight bill took an assignment in Iraq. I think Bill is the only one in the family to live and work in a combat zone. He a was tough tenacious guy and returned home from the sandbox without a scratch, not so much as a splinter! Upon returning home with his letters of appreciation from the General Sanchez, L Paul Bremmer and President Al Nouri, he got a good job at Boeing.

I want to tell you the Easter Billy story The early years up in Seattle were sometimes tough because he & I seemed to be working all the time and for some reason Easter seemed to sneak on me every year. I was always unprepared but Bill would come up with some corny reason to need to stop by when I was at work: to pickup tools or drop off mail. Sure enough when I got home there on my desk were two fully-stuffed Easter Baskets signed, ”The Easter Billy.”

So Bill had many jobs, Easter Bunny stunt double, Communications Engineer, Dog Trainer (With Tigger and Otto I should say more like horse trainer) Real Estate Tycoon (yep, at one point bill had three rentals units) Cancer Survivor Llama rancher

You heard me right he was a cancer survivor, something he kept private. I’m not sure why he kept it private but I think in his mind he didn’t want to burden us with his pain. How silly Billy! You aren't heavy, you’re my brother.

Bill was always hopeful and industrious as in one of the last times I spoke to him, he honestly was finalizing plans to be a Llama rancher – hey there’s decent money in Alpaca wool he said…

As I go thru life I try to learn from people and I think Bills life has some lessons for all of us.I know my brother left some things undone and others that he never had a chance to start. so my fellow mortals don’t wait to do those things you always wanted to do, GO, do them now, DO NOT WAIT..

He had this trait where he could always turn a dull party around. He could be very immature at times but that’s just because I think deep inside he was still a child inside a man’s body. Bill was poised, gentle and caring and a good true friend. He knew that I knew I could count on him and that is how I will remember my brother Bill.

I’ll close with a poem.  I can’t recall where I read it but this best sums my feelings on the subject:

Death is nothing at all - I have but only slipped away into the next room. I am I, and you are you. Whatever we were to each other, that we still are. Call me by my old familiar name, speak to me in that easy way that you always do. Wear no a forced air of sorrow.

Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes we enjoyed together. Play, smile, think of me, pray for me. Let my name be ever the household word that it always was. Let it be spoken without the ghost of a shadow on it. Life means all that it ever meant...There is absolutely an unbroken continuity.

What is death but a negligible accident? Why should I be out of mind just because I am out of sight? I am waiting for you dear friends and family - for an interval-somewhere near perhaps just around the next corner. All is well my dear friends and family. All is well.