I just returned to my desk after a couple of hours away and found this email waiting for me. Many or you knew Bill, so I'm sharing this information with this list. Bill was my best friend. (I have many best friends.) He liked to think of himself as a curmudgeonly old guy, but that was far from the truth. He was very kind and loving and a great teacher. Bill was every bit the man as Lois describes him, and then some. I can't express the loss that I feel. I can't do it now, but later I would like to discuss how those who are interested could car pool to Cottonwood for the funeral. I loved Bill. I'm not ashamed to say it. I feel very fortunate to have numbered him among my friends. Kim -----Original Message----- From: Lois [mailto:sunflower@commspeed.net] Sent: Wednesday, February 09, 2011 4:27 PM To: sunflower@commspeed.net Subject: Bill's passing, February 8, 2011 Dear Family and Friends, Bill entered the hospital January 25 after collapsing in his doctor's waiting room. He suffered from pneumonia and other ailments. He went into Hospice care at the hospital on Monday afternoon, February 7th. The chaplain came to pray with him. The extra medication let him rest comfortably without the respiratory distress that the pneumonia and other conditions caused. I stayed with him until after 11:00 pm then came home. The hospital called just after he passed peacefully at 4:11 am Tuesday (this) morning. He put up a good fight, but the pneumonia and other medical issues were too much for a 93 year old. He went down hill quickly after a trip to and from a rehabilitation center in Sedona last Wednesday. He kept commenting on how kind everyone at the hospital was to him. They were caring, compassionate and treated him with great love. There was not time to read or answer emails or to make phone calls because I wanted to spend as much time with him as possible. Our cat cannot understand why Bill has not been here. As his back became more painful, he was home almost all the time and she often napped with him. When he went into the hospital two weeks ago I put down some of the clothing Bill wore for her to sleep on, but it does not replace him for her. Bill clung to life and lived it fully for his 93 years. He always had a zest for life and never let his mind stop coming up with new ideas. He was a man of many talents, including marine biology, gemstones, astronomy, food & wine, music, tennis, skiing and making friends. He had a winning smile and great curiosity. He was ever the teacher and taught me so much. In recent months he said that he was in great pain and it would be easy to let go and die, but he stayed for me. His time finally came. We had 22 wonderful years together, and I will miss him. I am so grateful for family and friends. Thank you for your emails, cards and phone messages. Sincerely, Lois Kelley P. S. A young man helping with the computer in December somehow combined email addresses from three email sites so it seems like I am sorting through hundreds of names. Please forgive me if you were overlooked on updates. Here is the update I sent out about a week after he went to the hospital. Dear Family and Friends, Bill has been in the hospital since January 25th with pneumonia and other ailments. Early yesterday I thought I would be able to send good news. On Monday and Tuesday Bill was able to sit up in a chair and eat on his own. So on Wednesday morning the doctor said that Bill was going to be discharged to a Rehabilitation Center in Sedona. Well,in the late afternoon he endured the hour ride. When he arrived there was no oxygen waiting for him. By the time they got some he was pretty low and in distress. His intuition kicked in and he said that he wanted me to get him out of there and that was before they brought the burned toasted cheese sandwich for supper. I don't think they wanted him there either, because he has been so weak that he can no longer stand on his own. The head nurse suggested that he might die if he stayed there and called the doctor on call. They told me it would be better if they called 911 and took him back to the emergency room at the hospital. It was about 20 degrees out and he felt frozen in the ambulance. When we arrived at the ER our friend Amanda was the Tech and J-Ann was our ER Nurse again and Karen from New Hampshire signed him in - wonderful. There was more fluid in his lungs than the X-ray taken the day before. He got to the room quite late and I waited for him to be settled. - about 11:00 pm. The traveling took a lot out of Bill who spent so many days in bed recovering since the 25th. He had a very bad night. When I arrived the night nurse made a special effort to speak with me. He had a bad day and had to be sedated all day. A Respiratory specialist had to be called in the afternoon. The Ear, Nose,Throat DR. was called in and arrived at 5:00 pm because Bill's mouth, throat and down to his stomach is burning. Bill has been his patient for over 10 years and they get along very well, so he is going to get to the bottom of the burning issue. He did say that Bill has the mouth and throat of a 20 year old. I left him in good hands after 9:00 tonight. I don't know where I have gotten the strength to care for him. I am up at 5:45am and to bed after 11:00pm if I am lucky. I am writing this, but do not have the energy to answer emails yet. All of the nurses, techs and staff everywhere in the hospital have been wonderful. It is as if angels had been dropped into the hospital to care for Bill and me. All we need now are the miracles. Blessings, Lois ----- No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 10.0.1204 / Virus Database: 1435/3432 - Release Date: 02/09/11