SATURDAY WAS WILLIE'S MEMORIAL SERVICE UP IN SPOKANE. IT WAS A VERY SAD DAY. I JUST STILL CAN'T BELIEVE I WILL NEVER SEE HIM AGAIN. 20 YRS OF KNOWING HIM JUST WASN'T LONG ENOUGH. I'M IN SHOCK.

I'VE KNOWN WILLIE SINCE HE WAS 1 YR OLD. IN FACT THE VERY FIRST MEMORY I HAVE OF HIM WAS WHEN I WAS 7. I HAD GONE TO MINDY'S (HIS OLDEST SISTER & MY VERY BEST FRIEND) FOR A CAMPFIRE MEETING. I HAD NEVER SEEN HIM BEFORE, OR NIKKI, THEIR MIDDLE SIBLING. WHEN MINDY TOOK ME TO HER ROOM, SHE ASKED IF I WANTED TO HOLD HER BROTHER I SAID SURE. SHE BROUGHT TO MY ARMS, WHAT LOOKED LIKE A STRANGE DOLL! IT DIDN'T MOVE, BLINK, OR MAKE A SOUND. WHEN I USED BOTH OF MY ARMS OUTREACHED UNDER IT'S ARMPITS, IT SUDDENLY SNEEZED! HOLY CRAP IT WAS A REAL PERSON! IT DIDN'T LOOK LIKE IT WAS! I FELT SO BAD THAT I DROPPED HIM, AND I THOUGHT THAT HER MOM, AND MY MOM WERE GOING TO BEAT MY ASS! SO YEARS LATER, I USED TO KID AROUND WITH WILLIE, BY SAYING "HEY WILL, SORRY I SCREWED UP YOUR FACE!" HE'D ALWAYS SAY "YEAH J, IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!" WILLIE WAS BORN WITH A RARE CONDITION CALLED, TREACHER-COLLINS SYNDROME.

THE GREAT PART ABOUT HIM IS HE NEVER COMPLAINED ABOUT HIS FACE. HE DIDN'T GIVE A SHIT IF PEOPLE STARED AND POINTED AT HIM. HE WAS TRULY REMARKABLE, EVEN IN HIS YOUNGER YEARS. I REMEMBER AS FAR BACK, HIS OLDEST SISTER, MINDY, AND I WOULD BABYSIT ALL THE KIDS. WE HAD TO LEARN A BIT OF SIGN LANGUAGE TO COMMUNICATE WITH HIM SINCE HE HAD A HEARING IMPAIRMENT.

I HAD WRITTEN ABOUT WILLIE'S DEATH IN AN EARLIER ENTRY. I JUST STILL CAN'T BELIEVE HE IS GONE. HIS MEMORIAL SERVICE WAS AMAZING! BY THE TIME IT STARTED, IT WAS STANDING ROOM ONLY. IT STARTED ABOUT 20 MIN LATE BECAUSE OF HIS OWN FATHER AND STEPMOTHER WERE LATE. HOW SELFISH. FROM WHAT MINDY TOLD ME IS THAT THEY WERE HARDLY EVEN INVOLVED IN THE PLANNING. I GUESS IT SHOULDN'T BE A SURPRISE SINCE HE WASN'T TOO INVOLVED WITH HIM AND NIKKI'S LIVES. SAD.

THERE WAS A FEW SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETERS TO RELAY THE SERVICE. THERE WERE QUITE A FEW OF HIS CO-WORKERS FROM HIS JOBS, LANDLORD, TEACHERS, SCHOOL MATES, FRIENDS, ACQUAINTANCES, ETC. IT WAS SUCH A HUGE TURNOUT.

ONE OF THE SPEAKERS WAS A MASTER SEARGANT WITH THE MARINE CORPS. HE WENT ON TO SPEAK ABOUT HOW HE GOT TO KNOW WILLIE A FEW YEARS AGO WHILE WILLIE WORKED AT THE GROCERY STORE. HE SAID THAT WILLIE HAD MENTIONED TO HIM THAT HE WOULD'VE LOVED TO HAVE BEEN A MARINE. THE SEARGANT REPLIED HE HAD MORE GUTS THAN 10 MARINES PUT TOGETHER. THE NEXT STORY HE MENTIONED WAS WHILE WILLIE BEGAN WORKING AT THE SWINGING DOORS TAVERN (WHERE THE SEARGANT FREQUENTED)THAT WILLIE NOTICED THAT THE SEARGANT ALWAYS WAS TAKING NOTES, AND WRITING THEM ON NAPKINS. WILLIE MENTIONED TO HIM WHY HE JUST DIDN'T BUY A NOTEPAD? HE CONTINUED TO SAY THAT THE VERY NEXT DAY THE SEARGANT CAME INTO THE TAVERN AND UPON HIS FAVORITE BARSTOOL, WAS A 3 RING BINDER COMPLETE WITH PAPER. HIS NEXT STORY WAS ABOUT THE SEARGANT HIMSELF, AND HOW WHILE HE WAS SERVING IN THE VIETNAM WAR, THAT HE CARRIED A MINIATURE AMERICAN FLAG IN HIS FATIGUES TO REMIND HIM OF WHAT HE WAS FIGHTING FOR AND WHOM. HE HELD UP THE TINY FLAG FOR ALL TO SEE, HE EXPLAINED THE FLAG WAS A LITTLE BIT SOILED AND WORN, BUT WANTED TO DEDICATE THE FLAG TO WILLIE, FOR HE WOULD'VE MADE "ONE HELL OF A MARINE" AND TO LEAVE IT TO WILLIE'S FAMILY. HE PLACED THE TINY FLAG ON THE MEMORIAL TABLE NEXT TO WILLIE'S FAVORITE POSSESSIONS, AND STOOD BACK AND GAVE A FALLEN SOLDIER SALUTE AND SAID "SEMPER FI, WILLIE!" HE SAID IT WITH SUCH CONVICTION, AND WE CRIED WITH THE MARINE. IT MOVED EVERYONE.

THIS PHOTO WAS TAKEN OCT 25 1985 WHEN MINDY AND I VOWED TO BE BEST FRIENDS FOREVER AT OUR CAMPFIRE/BLUBIRDS MEETING. THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME I HAD MET HER SISTER, BROTHER, COUSIN, AND AUNT. (THIS IS AFTER I HAD ACCIDENTALLY DROPPED HIM AN HOUR BEFORE.)

THERE WERE MANY PEOPLE WHO SPOKE ABOUT WILLIE, EVEN A FEW OF HIS HEARING IMPAIRED FRIENDS WHO USED SIGN LANGUAGE TO THE INTERPRETERS TO EXPRESS THEIR FEELINGS, AND MEMORIES. THERE WERE 3 COUNTRY SONGS PLAYED AS WELL. THERE WAS AN AWESOME PHOTO COLLAGE ON VIDEO, AND PHOTO ALBUMS CELEBRATING HIS LIFE. HE HAD NEARLY 50 SURGERIES TO CONSTRUCT HIS FACE THROUGH HIS LIFE. MORE THAN 2 A YEAR ON AVERAGE.

MINDY'S OLDEST DAUGHTER, KAYLYNN, (MY GODDAUGHTER)HAD ASKED THE PASTOR THE DAY BEFORE "IS HE HAPPY?" WHEN THE PASTOR REVEALED HER INNOCENT QUESTION TO THE AUDIENCE, WE ALL CRIED, I COULD SEE SOOO MANY HEADS LOWERING AS HE SAID THIS COMMENT. FOR ME, THE SERVICE WAS DIFFERENT THAN ANY OTHER I HAD EVER BEEN TO, INCLUDING MY RELATIVES OR FRIENDS THAT HAD PASSED AWAY. THERE WAS SO MUCH LOVE ALL AROUND. WILLIE TRULY INSPIRED, AND TOUCHED SO MANY PEOPLE. IT WAS DIFFERENT FOR THE REASON THAT HE HAD ALREADY BEEN CREMATED, AND HIS ASHES WERE BURIED THE DAY BEFORE, SO THERE WAS NO CASKET.

I SPENT TIME AFTERWARDS TALKING TO MANY PEOPLE I HADN'T SEEN IN YEARS, COMFORTING FRIENDS, AND I APPROACHED KAYLYNN, AND SHE WAS HAPPY TO SEE ME, AND SHE GAVE ME A BIG HUG AND SAID HOW MUCH SHE LOVED KINDERGARTEN, AND WHEN I WOULD COME TO WATCH THE VIDEO THAT WILLIE HAD GOTTEN HER FOR XMAS. (HE DIED ON THE 23RD OF DEC.)I TOLD HER I'D COME BACK TO TOWN SOON AND WE'D WATCH IT TOGETHER. SHE HELD MY HAND FOR A SECOND AND SHE WENT TO HUG HER GRAMMA.

WE STAYED A LITTLE BIT LONGER AND IT GOT TO BE A LITTLE MORE QUIET, AND MINDY AND HER HUSBAND CAME TO EAT WITH US, AND WE TALKED ABOUT WILLIE. SHE SAID THAT SHE WAS SO GLAD WE COULD COME UP TO BE THERE, I TOLD HER I NEEDED MY OWN CLOSURE FOR WE ALL GREW UP TOGETHER AND WAS KINDA LIKE A BROTHER TO ME TOO. HER MOM CAME UP TO ME AND WE JUST HUGGED FOR A WHILE, I TOLD HER I WAS SO SORRY, AND HOW MUCH I LOVED HIM TOO. SHE SAID "I KNOW HE LOVED YOU TOO, FOR YOU ACCEPTED HIM." SHE TREMBLED AND I CRIED HOLDING HER, AND WE FINALLY LET GO AND SAID I LOVE YOU TO EACH OTHER. SHE SAID SHE KNEW I WOULD BE HERE, AND THANKS FOR COMING. I TOLD HER I COULDN'T MISS THIS AND NOT BE HERE FOR THEIR FAMILY.

ON THE WAY HOME, MY EYES WERE SO TIRED. ON THE WAY UP TO SPOKANE, IT WAS REAL FOGGY, AND RAINY. ON THE WAY BACK, AFTER ALL THE CRYING, BEING TIRED, STRAINING TO SEE THE ROAD THROUGH MORE RAIN AND DARKNESS, WE MADE IT HOME. DON AND I TALKED THE WHOLE WAY, MOSTLY ABOUT WILLIE AND HOW FRAGILE LIFE IS. I TOLD HIM I GUESS IT'S WEIRD THAT WE FEARED FOR HIM NOT TO COME OUT OF SURGERY SOMETIMES, OR SOMETHING WOULD HAPPEN DURING SURGERY, AND TO LOSE HIM TRAGICALLY LIKE HE HAD WAS STRANGE. HE STILL HAD A LIFE A HEAD OF HIM. IT ALSO PUT A PERSPECTIVE IN FRONT OF US, THAT IT CAN HAPPEN ANYTIME, ANYWHERE. THAT PART DOES FRIGHTEN ME, AND I THINK WHAT IF IT HAPPENED TO ME? MY DAUGHTER WOULDN'T KNOW WHO I REALLY AM. THAT BOTHERS ME, BUT IT INSPIRES ME TO TELL MY MOTHER-IN-LAW THAT I NEED TO HAVE HER SPEND MORE TIME WITH ME. WE'LL SEE, PERHAPS.

BE SURE TO SCROLL OVER TO THE RIGHT FROM THE BOTTON TO SEE FULL PHOTO

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