Tuesday, April 23, 2024
I first met Bill when he joined Rescue Company of the Oceanside Fire Department, about 35 years ago. We immediately became the best of friends, and ran hundreds of rescue calls over the years to follow. Many of them just the two of us, in the wee hours of the morning, when nobody else showed up. We shared lots of great fire department memories like the Rescue company parties, outings, training and holiday parades. After I retired I went to work for Bill at Murphy Construction, slinging concrete, bricks and in general, having a good time. Later on, when I had the Woods Deli, Bill enjoyed coming by after work and sitting in the kitchen talking about everything from Viet Nam to the weather. One day Bill convinced his father to come upstate deer hunting with us. we didn't see any deer, but we drank a lot of beer and had a great time.
A few days before Bill passed, we sat and reminisced about some of the great times we had over the years. I t was good to see him laugh again. I consider myself fortunate to have had Bill as a good friend, and I will certainly miss him. May he rest in peace.
