Monday, November 20, 2023
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I knew Bill for the 2nd half of my life so far: that would be for the past 24 years. I moved into the 2nd level apartment of his house on July 1st back in 1999. This was only after he offered to take me shopping for new carpet and had it installed just for me prior to my moving in. I knew I’d just love being his tenant after this! Bill was the best landlord anyone could ever have. I really lucked out with him for 16 years. He was the best handy man and fixed everything on his own. From clogged shower drain to closet shelf rebuild, I will spare you details. To this very day, I am amazed that nothing really ever bothered him. He was always so calm and never seemed stressed! And sometimes I was stressed when I had to call or knock on his door. Like the time I banged into the back corner of the house with my car when doing my usual 3-point turn to get out of the driveway or when I was freaked out because I had mice living in the dormer area closet. He trapped them one by one and wouldn’t stop until he got them all. Bill was also very caring and understanding. After I had lost my job in 2005 and told him how concerned I was about figuring things out, he lowered my rent for several months and later on told me he did not want any repayment! When I had a boyfriend or my now husband move in, he reviewed & approved and only raised the rent by a hair. On a different note, we would chat a lot simply in passing. One of my favorite things was to hear Bill’s stories about the track at Belmont and the horses or about whatever do-it-yourself projects he was working on at the house or simply about him and his life and wife Joyce when they were younger. I always admired his strength and attention to Joyce when she was sick. He was a great husband! Bill over the past several years always told me I was like his 2nd daughter. This warms my heart. When I got married to Craig on 10/10/10, you bet Bill & Joyce were at my wedding. I remember my mom telling me that if she wasn’t gonna be able to walk me down the aisle, she would want Bill to do it! Bill took very good care of me for years. What I didn’t mention to you earlier is that as soon as I moved in that July, my dad passed away in September. Through the past 24 years, I guess you can kinda say Bill was like my surrogate dad! It was soooo hard to tell Bill that I was gonna move out in November 2015 because at age 40, I was finally gonna be a first time homeowner with Craig. I definitely had separation issues! However, I managed through them because up until Bill’s final living day, he was my good friend. I always called him “my buddy.” Once we moved, Craig & I made sure we called him to say hi or b.s., even just for a few minutes. He always cracked me up on the phone! Over the past 8 years, I had to make sure I visited my buddy! And up until last year, we made sure we took him out to dinner annually to celebrate his birthdays. One of my favorite cute Bill moments was when I stopped by randomly a few years ago, he put on a record and started dancing in the back sunroom. To the Cha-Cha. It was awesome. We all should be as lucky to live til 93. I loved Bill so much and am sad he is gone now. I will miss his humor and our conversations about current events and life in general, but I am very happy to have had him to share my life for the past 24 years. His friendship and our special relationship meant the world to me. May Bill rest in peace.
-Gabrielle P. Schneider
