Remembering Billy

When the room had cleared of all the guests, I viewed a poignant moment . . . after the memorial service for her big brother, Peggy stepped up onto the stage to take a picture of Billy's photo. I lifted my camera and clicked. What my camera captured is the definition of "a picture is worth a thousand words." My dear friend loves her brother as much as any sister has ever loved a brother. I can't even imagine the void Peg is feeling.

Billy went to the doctor the Tuesday before Thanksgiving -- November 23 because he was not feeling well. He died very early this past Sunday morning, December 5th. He was diagnosed with a fast moving cancer. Billy was gone before any of us were ready.

Today we drove to Orange County to attend the memorial. The very large church was beautifully decorated for the holiday season and was absolutely packed with friends and family. On the stage were two huge photos of Billy, the one here that Peg is capturing with her camera and another one of Billy in his trademark annual "Santa uniform."

My friend Peg comes from a family of four children -- Billy was the oldest and Peg is the youngest. Peg was born just before Billy had his 10th birthday. He was a trophy big brother and "something of a father figure to his younger siblings."

We had got to know Billy and his wife Nancy when we all attended the destination wedding of Justin & Amanda, Peg & Scott's youngest son, in Key West, Florida in December 2004.

Billy was bigger than life. Every time we were with him, we were accepted as family. Billy will be missed more than words can explain. We've all agreed that he was gone before any of us were ready; thankfully Billy was ready. A long time ago he had typed-in the correct address to secure his reservation for the other side of life.

We were both very glad we were at the celebration of his life. The stories told, the laughter heard, the music, the message, the moment were all immensely meaningful.

Good night from Southern California.
Rosie (& Mr. Fun), aka Carol

P.S. The story written in the memorial folder was amazing, interesting, and revealed the fun character of the Billy that we knew. Here's one of the paragraphs from that folder, "Bill stood out from a very young age as being an eccentric and original guy: in his attire, his antics and his attitude. He claimed many times to have been the founder of the 'pegged-pant' movement, and was quite proud of the Levis he refused to launder until they stood on their own in his bedroom corner. In more recent times, he's been spotted in anything from short-shorts, a pink tutu and a bright orange beanie, never one to be overly self conscious. His benevolent antics also started early on, most famously perhaps his habit of roller skating to high school, something no one else dared pull-off. Over the years, he's been known to invent and build many odd but very useful items, not the least of which was an enclosed toilet for camping, complete with a toilet paper holder and striped tent covering. As a beloved and popular handy man in recent years, he has left many of us with cabinets and tables and beds and other improvements we will certainly treasure for a long, long time. Let us not forget, making friends and keeping friends were at the top of his life's 'to do list,' and among them he was unanimously cherished as the King of Jokes and Assigner of Nicknames, both of which speak loudly to his playful nature. The one thing about him that could never be second-guessed was his amazing attitude, which remained unwavering positive over the span of his life -- he was never one to hold a grudge. Hands down, this Grizzly Adams of a man, this gentle giant, this twinkling-eyed Santa and genuinely devoted husband, father, friend and Papa, earned a well-deserved reputation for remaining one of the most kind, easy-going, happy-go-lucky men on planet earth. And that, of course, is no small designation for a human being."