Losing Bill

Last week my dear friend Bill passed away. It can be truthfully called a blessing for him and for him family. Bill had suffered for at least ten years from Alzheimer's, one of life's cruelest afflictions. It began with a lost sense of direction that his wife Sandra noticed on a trip to Italy. After that it progressed to loss of driving, loss of appropriate behavior, loss of speech, loss of recognition of friends and family. Loss, loss, loss. Bill was one of the world's kindest people with a great appetite for affection, music, beer, and laughter. He was devoted to his family and to his friends, always addressing me as "HonEEEY." He cried easily. He's the person who sailed our boat to the Chesapeake with John when we moved to Washington from Toronto in 1978. He's the one who organized the chop-your-own-Christmas-tree outing when our children were little. He's the one you could always count on. Rest in peace, my friend. I'm going to miss you.