« Letting Go of Bill »
“I am a modern wizard in training.”
— William Bacon, Space Ghost: Coast to Coast (S6:E13)
“True. Just… true.”
— The Voice in My Head, No Special Occasion (1962-)
Bill became our family member back when we were 22-ish. There were a number of adventures over the years, and an equal number of Bill stories. Sharing his legacy is something that he would have liked me to do.
One time, the American Lung Association commissioned two mascot costumes, a koala and a snowman, which Jeff and I wore for the photoshoot. The ALA absolutely loved them... although they didn’t find some of the photos nearly as funny as we did, such as where the mascots were holding cigarettes.
At a few days old, Camrin met Bill, and he still has a wish wand and a glass paperweight (made from Mount St. Helens ash) that was his gift to the new arrival. Who else has an uncle like him? Camrin also has an art piece that Bill created for me as a GM screen back when we were gaming, which was painted burlap on pizza box cardboard.
Bill was so ephemeral that it was often difficult to maintain contact with him. Messages would tend to arrive out of the blue.
He once emailed me a picture of himself staring out over an expanse of California wilderness from the yard of the mountain cabin where he was staying. He was holding a magnificent staff that he had created. Bill would want me to be clear that the image was taken from behind.
Naked.
Thanks, Bill.
I tell you all this because misery loves company.
Bill had been in and out of the hospital for a variety of reasons over the last four years, and last May (of 2022) we knew that he would be going into hospice. The problem was that we couldn’t find out which facility, and none of them would talk with us because we were not blood relations.
We just found out this morning (2022-12-16) about his passing, because Jeff finally started to get hits on an obituary search. So while this was not a shock, as such, we had gotten used to expecting that there might be just enough more time.
Jeff recently bought a sizable tract of property out in Maine, and Bill knew that Jeff was planning to build a place in that family compound for him to be/live. There would be a ceramics studio and so on, so Bill did have time to daydream about that. That’s the blessing.
So here’s to The King of Imagination. Long live his found art. Long live his kaleidoscopes of frolicking men. (Yes, naked. Haven’t you been paying attention?) Long live my brother Bill.
Obituaries
Find a Grave Memorial ID: 247446033
2022-12