[s-cars] remembering Bill

[pkrasusky at ups.com]

HA!

Thanks for the brevity, Tom.  And, crap!  I totally had meant to include
it as a typical "Bill-ism" and forgot in all my wordiness...
"RATTRO"!!!  How can one leave that out???
 
Bill had coined that affectionate name for his then recently acquired
red '90 90CQ - Rattro.  He got it after PO had a new paint job but they
never finished reinstalling the interior after some water damage,
bumpers off, etc.  Man did he and Abe spend some hours on that thing.  
 
When I saw it finished I failed to understand the appropriateness of the
name Rattro as the car REALLY looked REALLY damn NICE!  But, in a
typical Bill way (he was always self degrading), and to hear him spin
the tale on the car assuredly put you into stitches laughing.  The time
I'd seen it we'd met @ Brian's "shop" for lunch - Bill dumbassedly had
agreed to meet Bob D'Amato "on his way" to pick up some UrQ parts for
Jim P. as I'd con'd Bill into the fact that he and Bob "both worked in
Farmington".  Not even close, they were, but he did it anyway.

Heh, Rattro.  I still get a chuckle out of that one.

Bill, being his selfless self, even fab'd up HID brackets for Jim's
Avant at the time.  They'd never met at that point.  Kind of guy he was,
always going wayway out of his way.
 
A Bill quote that comes to mind was in reference to running 4kq's on 1/2
a quart of oil.  "They LOOOOOOOOOVE it!!!".  Only Bill.

Just remembering another call I got at work from Bill one winter's
afternoon.  Paul, it's Bill.  The Avant shut off on the highway -
Colleen and I are on our way to meet Abe to ski @ Stowe / Jiminy Peak
(?).  Where are you Bill, I ask?  Hartford - we didn't even make it out
of HARTFORD.  We're going home to take Colleen's Alero - least that's
assured to actually MAKE it there and back.  I remember him having to
cringe in that irony and having to admit to Colleen just in fact how sad
a point that actually was.  D'oh.

Ah, Bill...  or as Abe often said...  Billyboy...
 
 
 


  _____  

	From: Tom Mullane [mailto:tmullane at gmail.com] 
	Sent: Monday, September 17, 2007 10:01 AM
	To: Krasusky Paul (WQQ2PXK)
	Cc: s-car-list at audifans.com; james.pasqualoni at gs.com;
jnorris at usgs.gov; user109411 at aol.com; yellowcuda at gmail.com;
robert.rossato at hs.utc.com; konecc at snet.net
	Subject: Re: remembering Bill
	
	
	Nice read, Paul.
	
	I met Bill the same way you did, through the S-car community.  I
was always amazed that he could be so meticulous yet work on old
junkers; hard to reconcile the two I'd imagine.  He seemed to be OK with
it though. 
	
	Bill did my HID conversion too...also in a freezing cold garage.
I tried to find a few pictures of the event (Marc Swanson was around, so
you can rest assured the event was well documented) but I couldn't find
anything decent enough to post.  From the pictures, I went to email to
find my favorite "Bill quote".  I've been reading old emails and
laughing quietly at work for the past half hour.  I guess I never
realized what a good sport he was. 
	
	Anyway, I found the quote I wanted, and it may be only funny to
me (and perhaps to a few other married Coupe owners) but I think of it
every time I see Robyn struggle her way in and out of the Coupe,
muttering and cursing under her breath.  I'm sure there are others that
own a ride that their significant other has a "new level of hatred" for:

	
	"I was reading the thread about the car--and Robyn hating the
coupe---Colleen is the exact same way.  Don't get me wrong she hated the

	4kqs, but there is a new level of hatred with the coupe...'why
are the doors so heavy, why did you have to get a red car, why doesn't
the AC work, is it always this loud' and on and on and on---gotta love
it." 
	
	Tom
	
	
	
	
	On 9/17/07, pkrasusky at ups.com <pkrasusky at ups.com> wrote: 


		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