Posted on 11/19/2012 8:38:45 AM PST by DollyCali
Bill at the first Honor Flight out of Akron. He was delighted to chat with Bob Dole.
At a Walter Reed Freep - with Bert, Kristinn.
He really enjoyed the WH correspondent dinner FReep & time afterward in hotel lounge
He may have been old.. but he wasn't stupid!!!!
A gentle and kind man has returned to his maker. He was a patriot, FReeper, WW2 Army/AF veteran who received the Bronze Star, and very very young at heart. He buried two wifes to Breast Cancer & himself struggled with prostrate cancer and was involved with me in the Prostate Cancer support group(I was facilitator). He served on various groups in Hudson Ohio in think tanks, music groups and Western Reserve Academy.
His last couple of years were spent in a group home & he was sadly removed from the support group of friends, clubs, activities and surroundings he enjoyed for over 40 years. He was still driving but there in NJ was very little he had interest in viewing or exploring - alone. In Ohio, he was on the go continually and busied himself at church, singles dances, New Orleans Jazz events, hiking, beaching, movies, dining out, organizations, Tea Party groups, GOP clubs for starters.
I have a few links that I was able to find that you might find enjoyable to browse. He attended several FReeps in DC, countless in Ohio(esp during pre election times) and as this is a tribute thread I want to give my tributes to a dear friend whom I will miss. We chatted on phone several times a week & emailed daily.
He enjoyed the various forums and Facebook but his VERY OLD computer and lack of skills to navigate, yet alone sign in with password to the sites was problematic. He was the only one in his group home with a computer & no help was available.
Bill and I were involved with a Christian church that was very contemporary. It met at a movie theater & had rap, hip hop, rock music. The preacher was solid & biblically accurate. In the course of the time thre Bill was in one of the videos.. Rockin' Bill!
83 year old FReeper/WW2 vet/bronze star - MAKES THE ROCK SCENE
Here is a thread where he was at Bethesda FReeping Fred Phelps (AKA - the creep)
Fred Phelps FReeped at Bethesda Naval Hospital
He posted only one thread here at FR & it was an accident. The Viking kitties were circling their prey as I was alerted & helped set things straight. He thought he was replying to a thread but instead started his own... It was comical (to me).
He Loved the Walter Reed FReeps. Here is a thread with some pix of one he attended.
FReep 54 at Walter Reed, April 28 (Heavy graphics, Join us Cinco de Mayo!
For the Finest a few years ago I did a tribute to WW2 and include both Bill & FReeper Bevlar(Larry).
A Few of FR's Finest..Every Day..02-6,7-07..WW2: The War, The Era, The Monument, The FReeper Vets
I have a lot of video & photos that I have on both YouTube & Facebook. Here is my archives of pix from Facebook - many FReepers in the pix along the way.
My Buddy Bill
There are more threads & links but this is all I have the energy to now research.
/salute
We were blessed with his presence and friendship for a while. What a gift we were given!
A hero proved in liberating strife. Rest in peace, Bill.
Now he goes on to the new great adventure.....
Have fun in heaven....see you soon!
Rest in peace Mr. Barrows
It was my pleasure to know him over the years through you and I thank you for sharing him with us. He was a good man. His was a life well-lived. God rest his soul.
"Unable are the loved to die. For love is immortality." ~Emily Dickinson
(I am pinging wheelbarrow too. Is it silly to hope that pings to our loved and departed freepers resonate in Heaven?)
Rest in peace.
My sincere sympathies to his family and friends - we are all irreplaceable but, nonetheless, we all must go some time. I hope that everyone the knew and was affected in a positive way by him will be comforted with their knowledge of the type of person he was, and that he and his good works will continue to live and spread through their own acts and words.
I’m so sorry to hear of the passing of your friend, Dolly. I did not know him, but that was definitely my loss... And, it’s definitely a loss to all of us here at FR every time another proud patriot transitions to the other side. They may be gone from sight, but they are definitely not gone in spirit - and just imagine how much he’s dancing and happy up there back with all of his old friends, and loved ones, and our Lord!
My prayers for all of you mourning his passing. What a full and wonderful life he led - an inspiration that we should all take to heart...
RIP Bill “Wheelbarrow” Barrow - I thank you for your service and for your dedication long past then to our country and to all of us. You will be remembered.
So sorry to hear this. RIP...we have lost another great American.
Very Nice.....
RIP Sir.
Ping!
God bless you, Bill. You will be missed.
May God take and keep him. Your memorial essay is loving and beautiful. May God comfort you in your loss.
Prayers up for this great patriot and his family and loved ones.
God bless.
RIP Wheelbarrow
I’m sorry for the loss of your friend, may God rest his soul.
"It is hard to say good bye to a friend, no matter how old or how sick they are. Bill had a zest for life that was contagious. In is 80s he was doing things many don't do in their 40s (biking, kayaking, hiking, dancing at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame). He reminded me of the line from the musical Fame --- I'm gonna live forever.... but he didn't and I will miss him terribly." - DollyCali
Dolly, those are such beautiful words for Bill, they deserve to be repeated!
God bless..!
Sorry to hear this Dolly. He was special.
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