[s-cars] remembering Bill

[pkrasusky at ups.com]

Wanted to share some thoughts about Bill as my way of trying to feel
better about this.  

I too met Bill from here on the List.  Trying to recall but seems that
he'd contacted me about getting together to check out my recently
obtained //S6 back in the spring of '02.  He'd come up to my place after
work one evening in his 4kq and we hung outside shooting the breeze for
hours, instantly realizing how much we had in common and having lots of
laughs together.  I remember going inside after and Jen exclamating
something to the effect of "geesh that was a long visit for someone you
don't know".

A month or so later he came up to "watch" my suspension and big brake
install that Bob and I were tackling over a weekend, and of course at
some point I was pushed aside so the enginerds could work their magic.
Brian Werstak (Coventry Motorcar) had dropped by with his diegrinder to
trim the strut towers in a beautiful ~60k silver //S6 Avant and Bill was
smitten - picked it up a few weeks later.

Bill was quite quite talented, you may remember his boost gauge install.
We called it the Knight Rider / KITT gauge as it was red LED's in one of
the dummy center console switch plates.  But it was one of the nicest
cleanest installs you'd ever seen.  Talented, but moreso, SELFLESS.
Bill was always willing and eager to help, despite his many projects of
his own left sitting.  Came up one night and knocked out my HID install
- fab'd up some brackets for me, wired them, we were done in an hour
with his expertise.  Like Rich said, part of the freezing garage gang
here.  Then when I'd tree'd my 4kq and had a parts car @ Bob's for
disassembly, he beat me there one night and he and Bob were under the
rusty hunk of crap, freezing, filthy, yanking parts off before I
arrived.  Later we all took pleasure in using Bob's "elements of
destruction" and making things go smashysmashy on it.  

He was such the 4kq extraordinaire Abe Berman had nicknamed him
"UrBill", helped me do a scratch alignment on my 3.99kq when I got it
back together.  I think he won the //SFest 2004 or so Ronal wheel gift
certificate, picked up them 5 spoker's you may have seen on his car @
//SFest here last month.  He & Colleen brought them nifty Audi pictured
cakes to //SFest 2006 without being asked.  And at //SFest 2007, I'd
parked his Avant and gotten out and found him - awarding him the
"coolest tunes" award for the 75 cars I'd parked, some stupid hippy
music we both enjoy.

Not knowing much of the details of what happened other than what was on
the 11:30 news last night (white Fordish looking pickup truck upside
down), I'm guessing Bill wasn't speeding.  Years back Bob, Rich, and I
had met up for a gathering @ AAAngelo's pizza place down in Wallingford,
we'd met Bill en-route after work.  We caravan'd up the onramp, I look
back, Bill is about 8 miles back.  Pasqualoni and I were just last week
commenting on how he drove like a grandma.  See Bill was one of the
inquiries I had on that 90k mile RS6 that was available locally
recently, Jim and I couldn't figure out WTF Bill would do with the
thing!

I'll miss our "sub-List" convo's, fortunately we just had one Friday.
Abe and Bill had started this "off List" distribution to me, Bob, Jim
Pasqualoni, and Tom Mullane.  Always centered around stupid Audidom,
we'd have laugh's at absurd Audifans Marketplace ads, things on Craig
List, etc., and Bill would never let me down and always slayed me with
laughter.

That's what I'll miss most about Bill...  Bill was one of the literally
three people in my life that I can name where EVERYTHING that came out
of his mouth or keyboard was FUNNY (Bill Mahoney and Edweirdo Walsh
being the other 2, funny I met them both here on the List too - least I
see Bill annually - Ed, you suck huge hairy bauls!).  He was just that
kind of guy, always always *always* making me laugh.  Had a great warped
twisted spin on things.  He was also very quiet, unassuming - so much so
that many here probably didn't get to know him that well.  Definitely
one of those people that seemingly wouldn't harm a fly or do any wrong -
an all around great guy, and someone that caused me to spend more time
with my Audiot friends than my "real" ones certainly.

Abe here had introduced his friend Colleen to Bill, and I'm sure this is
hitting Abe hardest as they were from what I could tell THE *best* of
friends.  Abe just finished VT to CT commutes to Bill's to finish the
crate motor install into Abe's Barracuda in Bill's driveway.  And Bill
and Colleen were seemingly inseparable.  I used to bust on him
constantly for always bringing her to the GoF's @ my place - despite the
total sweetheart she is - "Bill, come on, this is a dude's thing!".
They were really a pair, great together.

A number of us will be getting together on a floral arrangement to send
Colleen, I think Darin's preparing details on the S-Cars.org site on
that.  And if you'd like to join the group of us attending the services
sometime this week, email me and I'll let you know when I or others hear
back from Abe with the schedule.

Jen got rear ended in her ML in town earlier that same day - barely
needs a bumper cover, things like this sure put that in perspective I
guess.  And to hear Colin McRae also perished that same day - man, what
a shitty day.

As Bob and Rich said...  Bill will be sorely missed.  I really liked
him.  Keep him and his and Colleen's families in your thoughts and
prayers.

And, to me, further reinforces what I've said now for years since
loosing my dad @ 18 - Carpe Diem.  Enjoy it while you got it folks -
rereading this  all just makes me sad.

-Paul