He was always smiling, happy and the life of the party. That was on the outside.
Inside, I guess there were some demons to which he finally succumbed.
He did a good job of hiding them - probably except to those to whom he was closest. I hadn't seen him that much over the years. He and Donna came to my wedding, which I thought was pretty awesome. I never expected it.
My Mom and I visited them once in South Carolina and we had a great time on the boat. Donna, Bill and I played golf - one of my first outings since I took up the game. Pace of play and etiquette was important to Bill, and I remember to this day that you always carry your putter with you when you're close to the green so you don't have to run back and get it after a chip shot. I know, it's a simple thing and common knowledge to most golfers - including me now. But at the time, it wasn't. He always joked about how much he taught people about this and that. Well, he did teach me that.
I saw him at a couple of Williamson High School reunions. I remember him sitting around a table with family, friends and old classmates at the hotel restaurant, telling stories, reminiscing and singing.
Then there was our recent reunion - still singing, still telling stories and still the life of the party. On the outside.
And although that's the part of him that I'm going to remember most - just because I don't want to be sad - I'm also going to try to take a lesson from this.
They say that beauty is skin deep, and it's what's inside that matters most. That might be a cliche, but I think cliches are cliches for a reason because most of the time, they're true.
Inside does matter most.
