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| Bill (right) with Dad, Doug, and me |
Today would have been my older brother's 68th birthday.
Would you like to know why there's an empty place in my heart and our family?
Let me tell you about Bill.
William H. Beatty Jr.
WONDER-FILLED
Bill was full of wonder and curiosity.
His mind was quick. His eyes were intense with questions and twinkled with mischief.
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| Six year-old Billy |
Bill was his own person--uniquely self-assured.
Three of his life phrases could have been "Why?" and "Why not?" and "What the heck!?"
L AUGHTER
My brother's laugh overtook him and spilled over to everyone he was with.
He often had to mop his twinkling blue eyes with a bandana or the back of his hand.
Can't say his name without a smile on my face and in my heart.
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| Bill and Doug ham it up, livin' large. |
L OVER OF LIFE
This man loved living--everything about it.
I NVESTIGATOR AND INSTIGATOR
One rare evening when we had a sitter, I'm pretty sure he was the one who thought of launching grapes through the floor fan, just to see what would happen . . .
As a pre-teen, Bill anesthetized a Houston Toad with gin, did exploratory surgery, closed it with Mom's sewing needle and thread, and turned it loose to hop around in the garden once again.
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| Bill, Doug, and Sandy |
A DVENTURER
Much to our parents' chagrin and delight, Bill thrived on adventure.
He was always up for Scouts, camping, offshore fishing, and other edgier sports.
For example? He liked bow hunting feral hogs. And he threw caution (and his gastro-intestinal health) to the wind, eating street food across the border in Mexico.
M ARINE
Bill joined the US Marine Corps in time to serve a tour of duty as a Forward Artillery Observer in Viet Nam.
Though the term PTSD hadn't been developed yet, I'm certain that Bill struggled with the hellish sights, sounds, smells, and emotions that he experienced in war.
H USBAND
The love of his life was Demra Carolyn Trube, whom he met and married after he completed his service in the USMC.
Bill cherished and protected Carolyn.
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| Bill toasts his bride Carolyn |
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| Carolyn, Bill, and me at the family dinner table |
B OISTEROUS BROTHER
He was two when Doug was born, and six when I came along--our big brother.
Bill was impetuous and mischievous, without a single grain of meanness.
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| Who launched those grapes through the fan? Or staged a Three Musketeers duel with Doug using Mom's knitting needles? Or didn't fess up to eating all but three strawberries prepared for Mom's bridge club, but broke out in hives within 12 hours? |
E NERGETIC SON
First-born son of Kathryn and William H. Beatty, Sr., Bill was always on the move:
bicycles, baseballs, footballs, the family Ford. Either he moved it, or it moved him.
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| Billy, always ready for Little League ball (yes, that's me--pestering my brother, I'm sure) |
A RCHITECT
Bill settled back at the University of Houston after Viet Nam, and received his degree in Architecture, along with the admiration of several of his professors.
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| Doug, Sandy, Bill 1973 |
T OUGH AND TENDER
One time, my future husband saw me with Bill; and Steve was sure that he would be beaten senseless if he tried to make a move on me. Steve didn't know that this thick-necked, bushy-headed, mutton-chopped guy was my tender-hearted big brother who would've given the shirt off his back to any friend in need.
T HRILLED FATHER
Nothing--nothing in this world thrilled and captivated Bill more than his beautiful daughter Kate.
He was amazed from the moment he saw her at birth.
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| Bill, smiles at his Kate, who sits in Uncle Steve's lap, while Aunt Sandy and cousin Stevie play with her toy |
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| Kate (left) has her Daddy's eyes and curiosity. This picture was taken in 1981, just before Bill was killed in the crash of a private plane in Ecuador. |
Y OUTHFUL
Bill was not immature or adolescent, but fresh, enthusiastic, and boyish.
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| Bellaire High School Senior 1961 |
J OKESTER
Initiating fun, Bill thrived on practical jokes. Once, our stepdad Tommy threw a lit string of Black Cat firecrackers down the tiled, wood-paneled hall outside the room where Bill was sleeping. Once his heart calmed down, Bill laughed just as hard as Tommy. I could tell that my brother was only sorry he hadn't thought of this first.
R EAL
My brother Bill was real.
Real curious
Real smart
Real vibrant
Real crazy fun
Real talented
Real loving
His life made a difference in this world.
Even though it's edges are now healed and not so raw,
there will always be a hole in our family that only Bill could fill.
