My Brother Billy

My brother Billy died peacefully at home early this morning with his lovely family around him. We always try to remember the best images of a dear relative when he/she passes on. My image will be of his son David playing those Irish ballads so beautifully on his violin at the foot of his father's bed . My brother Ray and I visited Sunday afternoon and as we were leaving Billy called to me, gave me that slight sheepish grin that was so characteristic of him, and said, "I'm leaving no forwarding address." As I write these words now , they simply OVERWHELM ME! Billy, we all know your new address!
I am sitting here trying to think of my earliest memory of my oldest brother,Billy. I was in elementary school when he went off to war. (World WarII) in the United States Navy. I don't ever remember seeing him in his uniform. I remember being in school and wondering what he would look like when he got home from the war. Billy served as a radioman on an aircraft carrier in the Pacific Ocean duing the war. I was glad two years ago when Billy, Ray, and I were able to visit with brother Donald in Charleston, South Carolina. Billy was able then to take us on a knowledgeable tour of the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown which is docked in Charlestown Harbor. My clearest early memory of Billy is in 1947 when he bought a bright fire engine red brand new Pontiac 4 door sedan . Boy, that was the cat's pajamas! He took the whole family including Uncle Frank out to Detroit, Michigan to visit my father's brother John's family. John worked for the Ford Motor Company making the Ford automobile. He took us on a tour of the Ford factory in Dearborn, and he also took us out to visit Father Coughlin's church of the Little Flower in Royal Oak, Michigan. Those are the early memories and that is over 60 years ago. It must have been that red car that made me remeber them so vividly. (I'll have to check with Ray. He is the psychology guy, and we have been talking about neurons lately.)
When Billy lived at home, he had the reputation as being "Mr Fixit" around the house. He could repair anything! If the toilet wouldn't stop running, Billy could fix it. If the house needed to be painted, Billy painted it, and the one thing above all others was, if the car wouldn't go, Billy would fix it, or spend hours trying to make it go. When Billy moved out of 6 Gordon Street(the family homestead), the new cry when something went wrong was, CALL BILLY!
About the only thing Billy couldn't fix was the galvanized iron water tank in the kitchen closet. Every once in awhile we kids would open the narrow door to the closet that held the thing and count the many plugs that were screwed into the leaks in the side of the tank. Then we would gingerly step on the rotted floor holding the tank from exiting like a missile to the cellar below and gently close the door. (It never did.) Billy, as was his way, wanted to replace the tank. ( It didn't happen.)
Anyway, Bill that violin and talk about"forwarding address" really hit me right between the eyes. I think you planned the whole thing. I know you told me in the hospital that you wanted to die in dignity. Bill, You know that Ray and I were the teachers in the family, but we could not hold a candle to you! You taught the best lesson of all. You taught us all how to live with grace and then how to die with DIGNITY........But....that forwarding address.....None of us knows for sure what is on the other side,right?........But, somewhere Bill, there may be an envelope that has your name on it, and only you can open it in that "place without a forwarding address". I think I know what it will say,

"WELCOME DEAR AND LOYAL SERVANT
COME INTO MY KINGDOM
YOU SERVED YOUR GOD, YOUR COUNTRY,
AND YOUR FAMILY WELL"
God bless you, Bill.
I will miss you and pray for you.
Leo