Memories of Bill

Happy Birthday in May on your 52th birthday Billy Boy! We still miss you and think about your silly stories often.

Love,

Mom and Dad

Baby Bill and Daddy Bill

I love when I find pictures of Bill. As a baby he had crazy eyes. The picture was taken in California on Grandma Sparks coffee table. The next picture is Bill and an unidentified baby. It could be Michelle or his niece Chessie. He was a young good looking Daddy.

Bill growing up

Oma was going through tons of family photos and I snagged a few of Bill. He is a pretty cute kid. I think I was lucky to have such a wonderful brother to grow up with and hang out and get into trouble with. Sure love ya little bro. Helen

Happy Birthday Daddy!

My dad absolutely adored his mama. She was everything to him. He would constantly tell us what a good woman she is and how she wants nothing but to serve others. She was a great mother to him, even up until his dying day she took care of him. Her and Opa were so kind and showed such great love in the moments he needed it the most. I know he will be eternally greatful for the wonderful parents he was blessed to have.

Happy Birthday daddy. I keep waiting for you to call and tell me you want some good ol' mexican food and a back rub for your special day. Life is just not the same without your sweet words and great humor. You left such a legacy of love and faith in the Lord behind you. It will take a lifetime to retell the incredible miracle that was your life. Here's to being forever 49! We love you more than ever.

One Year

We still miss you.

Surf's up

Ever since I can remember every Saturday morning I'd wake up to either The Beach Boys or The Beatles blaring through the house as we reluctantly did our Saturday jobs. Dad would sing along happily and dance through the house filled with memories of surfing. He'd often recount all the different exciting parts of surfing. The perfect wave, making it into the "pipe", going over the falls and getting stuck in the laundry-machine attached to the surfboard. He'd tell us about the riptides, the sea turtles popping up like dinosaurs rising out of the murky waters. He'd tell us about his friends little brother who could lure the girls to the bonfires by playing the guitar so well. Dad loved to surf. He did it non-stop growing up. His hair would bleach on the top from when he'd shake the water from it. He'd skip morning classes to go surf all the time. I loved hearing about it and imagining him out there tearing it up. I find myself imagining it still; I hope they have waves in heaven.

Photography

Dad always loved photography and fancied himself a pretty talented amateur photographer. He loved to pose us and find just the right backdrops for his "masterpieces". We loved having him take our pictures...or were at least good sports when we would spend a good part of each Sunday after church posing for him. I wish I had some of our more memorable posed pictures to add to this post, but alas they are all at my mom's house.

Dad also loved to develop his own film adding special effects and playing with filters, light, etc. I remember spending hours with him in the "dark room" - aka bathroom with a red light and towels stuffed under the door- learning how to develop film. Those moments are very special to me and I loved that he took the time to teach me a hobby that he really enjoyed.

All in all he managed to capture a lot of great shots of his family. But the photo that he is best remembered for is unfortunately this "self-portrait":

I think I would title this one "Mustache in the Wind"...