Bill Adams – Correspondence with His Wife, Julie, May 2014

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For our 55th Year high school reunion, coming up later this year, the Reunion Committee is soliciting written submissions from all our classmates to include in an electronic Commemorative Book of Memory & Testament.  To encourage our classmates to share and write, periodically we send out a few of the submissions we have received in an email as examples of what our classmates are writing of their thoughts and life events.  The posting below is the second one that I submitted.

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In the summer of 2013, to coincide with the 45th Year Reunion of our Bishop Alemany graduating class, some of us graduating from St. Ferdinand’s also decided to have a St. Ferdinand’s grammar school reunion.  A few of us contacted as many people from our 8th Grade graduating class as we could find, and one of those we managed to contact was Bill Adams in the Bay Area.  He was excited to hear from us, and he came down to the San Fernando Valley for the grammar school reunion, though he was not able to come to the high school reunion.  We planned another grammar school reunion for the next year, for 2014 – our 50th graduation from St. Ferdinand’s – and Bill was excited about coming down again but discovered that the date conflicted with a Mediterranean cruise he had already planned.  He died unexpectedly before the cruise, and the following sequence of emails ensued between his wife, Julie, and me while I was in London. The link is to Bill’s Obituary page that Julie sent me in her first message to me.

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On 05/15/14, Julie > wrote:

I hope you already heard.  Sorry to notify by email.  We are paralyzed with grief.  

http://m.legacy.com/obituaries/ContraCostaTimes/obituary.aspx?n=William-Francis-Adams-Bill&pid=171023960&referrer=589&preview=True

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On May 15, 2014, at 4:14 PM, Chris wrote:

Julie,

Thank you so much for you very thoughtful message to me concerning Bill’s death.  I am in England right now visiting relatives until May 30 and several friends sent me your messages on FB as they know I am not on FB.  I have to say I was just shocked and stunned when I read the messages.

I am Bill’s grammar school and high school friend, and he came down to my house for our grammar school reunion last year.  We also got a chance to get together when I was in San Francisco in February.  Bill and I had not really had any contact since high school and the reunion just opened up the opportunity to us to reacquaint with each other and each contact – e-mail, phone calls, the reunion, our time in San Francisco – just helped develop more our friendship and enjoyment of each other.  When I heard of Bill’s death, I wrote back to the friend who wrote to me, that I had been looking forward to the years ahead of enjoying an even deeper friendship with Bill.  And yet in the less than a year we have again been in contact, I would say that we had already achieved a significant friendship and that was because of Bills’ warmth, very genuine interest in others, his honesty and sense of humor, and his generosity and largeness of spirit.  I will miss him.  I already do.

And I am also truly thankful for your message to me as I had been wanting to convey to you, as a few words of comfort, how often and how warmly Bill spoke of you and Dylan and his other sons, and of how one of his goals in finally closing the practice was to spend more time with you all.  When I was with Bill in San Francisco, Dylan phoned him about spending time with him and it was a joy listening to how Bill spoke to him and was truly listening to him and how he really lovingly made the arrangements and promises to be with him later that day.  And the whole tone of his voice and the demeanor of his face portrayed how much he wanted to be with his son and how much he was looking forward to the time with him.  Please tell Dylan just how apparent it was to me that his father truly loved him and treasured his time with him.

And to you and Dylan and his other sons I send my deepest sympathy and condolences.  I know how much I am saddened by Bill’s death and I’m not sure I can even imagine the multiplied grief you must feel, but please take at least some comfort from these words I write and how one of the things I most remember and appreciated about Bill was his manifest love for you, Dylan, and his other sons.  May the God of all comfort and grace strengthen and comfort you and surround you with his lovingkindness during this time and in the days ahead.

With sympathy, Chris Orozco

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On May 16, 2014, Julie wrote:

Hi Chris.  If you could leave what you wrote below on the website guest book for Bill’s obituary I think when our son is older it will be comforting and bring a smile to his face.  He’s in incredible pain now.  

I’d appreciate anyone else that could leave tributes online so they are preserved for our 14 year old son.  Bill never would have wanted to do this to him. 

I so very much appreciate your prayers.  

Sent from my iPhone

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On May 17, 2014, I posted my email to Julie on Bill’s Obituary page.

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On July 17, 2014, at our small St. Ferdinand’s Grammar School reunion, we raised a toast to Bill’ memory.

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On March 22, 2023, I sent the message below to Julie.

From: Chris Orozco <>
Sent: Wednesday, March 22, 2023 5:02 PM
To: Julie>
Subject: Alemany High School 55th Year Reunion – Remembering Bill

 Julie,

                 I hope all is well with you.

                We are now planning for our 55th Year Alemany High School Reunion, and I wanted to let you know that we will remember Bill, who died nine years ago.  We are requesting and receiving testimonies/memories from all classmates of their lives, and we are going to create an electronic Memory Book for our reunion.  I will be submitting my email correspondence we had when Bill died and that at your request I placed on his obituary.  Please see attachment.

               Also, please let Dylan know we are remembering his dad at our reunion. 

                Thanks.  Chris Orozco

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On March 28, 2023, Julie responded by email.

Hi Chris

Very nice to hear from you. 

Thank you for remembering Bill so fondly.  

Julie

End

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