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I'm going to make this post, as Celebration of the Man I knew. One of the few people in my life, with that designation, that I can say was a positive influence on my life.
First the sad part...
He had a major stroke about 2 weeks ago, and has been unconscious and unresponsive for the last week. The doctors have decided that there is no chance of his body making any recovery, he also has a high fever that they can't get to go down.
Bill was a great Man. He wasn't a politician, he wasn't a super hero, but his present affected many in this community.
I first met him on Crystals chat. He was a bit gruff, but once you got to know him, you knew he cared. That was the story of his life honestly...
Big man, long beard. When he wore his Hawaiian shirts in the summer he looked like the Hallmark cards of Santa on Vacation!
But he was gruff to people that didn't know him, and a teddy bear to those that did.
He guarded his private life, and you had to earn his trust to meet the real him, but once you did, he would have given you the shirt off his own back, even if you already had a coat, and both of you were stuck in a snow storm.
When we met, I had just moved back in with my family, after years of estrangement and I needed to get out of there again. I was in the middle of building a couple websites (StoryPortal and HuggleBugs) and Bill cornered me on ICQ one day (yeah, it was THAT long ago) and said "Hey, you are pretty good at that. Why aren't you doing it for money?".
I explained to him, that I needed to have servers, and that the money at the time was in Hosting websites for others.... I mentioned that I didn't have all the knowledge I needed to do it on my own, but I was thirsty for knowledge and trying to learn...
So he started asking me questions about how much money would be needed, and I gave him some figures... I was ball parking things, just talking. I thought it would be a COOL fantasy to have my own web host... So I kept talking...
I had met Kim (KimEM) a few months prior to this, and told her what was going on... She asked if she could be involved and I said "Sure!" thinking it would be awesome....
And then, 2 weeks later, I got a packet of information in the mail, that I needed to sign and send back.... It was our articles of incorporation, for this "company" we had talked about forming... "PP&F NetWorks, LLC" (Plummer, Pomerantz, and Fox).
2 days after that, there was a laptop on my doorstep, along with 2 checks for me to order the servers I needed...
10 days after that, once I had picked up and shipped the servers to Chicago, I had a train ticket to Chicago, to move in with Kim.
When Kim's job let her go, and we had no where to turn, Bill invited us into his home... And then moved us into one of his rentals...
When Kim passed away and I couldn't keep this home by myself, he told me not to worry, and let me stay here anyways...
When his wife filed for divorce, at the first sign of his getting sick, he moved in with me, and I started to care for him...
And as things progressively got worse, I was blessed with the chance to try and return everything he had done for me.
I don't know if I did well, but I did my damndest and I will love him forever just as I did Kim.
If Kim was my Mommy, then Bill was like a daddy. We didn't always get along, and I REALLY didn't care for his political opinions, but I will stand by my original statement.
Comments
Pickles
I too remember Pickles and his relentless chasing of the 'girls'. I will always remember him even though I never met him in person. Bill God bless you. And thank you Piper for what you did for him.
Huggles
MichelleA
Parental dining
Piper said,
"If Kim was my Mommy, then Bill was like a daddy."
I believe some restaurants referred to the three of you like that too.
-
You can't choose your relatives but you can choose your family.
Pickles, Piggles, Bill.... A Great Man.
I envy you for knowing both Kim and Bill (Pickles) Pomerantz.
May Your Light Forever Shine
very sad news
I might be a scribbler but at times like this i don't have the words.
I owe a big debt of thanks to pp&f, without you all i'd not have a website on the scale i have, i'm not religous but Bill, may the Gods look after you now, you deserve it.
And Piper, you hang in there eh.
Mads
Madeline Anafrid Bell
Pickles
He will be in my prayers tonight, I know by tomorrow he will be up in heaven, and the stars, I know every night you look up to the sky and see a star twinkle, Bill will be looking down on you. Please take care of yourself, and God bless. bekem5 (edw)
Piper - I'm sorry for your loss
I wish that I say something to make you feel better, but I have never been good at this. Bill, and you, are in my prayers.
- Monica
Ripples
I never knew or chatted with him, but I have seen the ripples of his passing all about me from the ones who did know him. I've heard so many stories of Pickles and his good humored antics that touched so many that it seems as if I had met him.
Fare thee well.
hugs
Grover
those of us
those of us that know and knew you both share the grief.
but we will remember those who have gone before and in thus they will never die. They will rest now in G-Ds warm hands and thier suffering is now at an end.
Go in Peace Pickles and go forth with love
hugs allie
My prayers go out to him and
My prayers go out to him and to you. Like some others, I never knew him really, but I knew of him certainly. And I agree, we need more great men like him, but he is unique. Of course it is always hard to lose loved ones, especially ones that mean so much to us.
Samirah M. Johnstone
I hardly know what to say.
Pickle (I will always remember him by that name) was really one of the good ones. He referred to himself as The Evil Santa and, having seen a picture of him in that hawaiian shirt, I had to agree, but he was the very antithesis of evil. He was a pretend lecher too. He flirted with all the girls at Crystal's chats, but always playfully, never seriously. His heart was as big as all outdoors and he made everyone happy to be who they were.
As Piper said, he took in two homeless girls with a lot of talent into his heart and home, and never abandoned them. He always made me feel pretty and always threatened to come to where I lived, chain me to my computer and force me to write more. He never got here though. I wish he had. Oh yeah, he also said he was gonna ravish me too. I kinda wish he'd had the chance.
While his involvement with most of us was strictly on the internet, he did get much closer to Kim, Piper, Scotty, Cat and a few others. The world will be a slightly darker, less friendly place without Pickle, and I will miss him more than I can say. I know he is going to be with KimEm, and he richly deserves to reside in heaven. He always said he didn't believe in religion, he believed in God, and I have adopted that philosophy for myself.
Fare thee well, Pickle, my old friend. Try not to chase too many angels, and let Kim know that we will always miss her and love her. You know we will miss and love you.
I'm going to cry for awhile now. Piper, my heart is with you.
Cathy_t_
As a T-woman, I do have a Y chromosome... it's just in cursive, pink script.
a great man
As Piper said this was a very great man.Those that knew him in better health could always count on a proposition and usually somewhat crude one really.However it was the man behind that facade was much more caring and sensitive.A big man with a long beard with a very sensitive big heart that was evident after you got to know him.I was touched with how much like a real family KimEm,Piper and Bill were.As we sat and talked ,the love was quite evident between those three.Bill and Kim acted like doting proud parents nuturing and loving Piper as if she really was there daughter.And I recall asking him to adopt me telling him what a big soft cuddly teddy bear he was under that gruff exterior.
It was very sad to see the shell of this great man the last time we met .Instead of the memory of a big hulk of a man filling a doorway. A frail looking man was struggling to climb my driveway on a walker.He didn't even remember me though.As we talked I mentioned the thanksgiving with my daughter ,Kim,Piper and I and Bill as always stopped by.I immediatly wished I hadn't when I saw the tears form in his eyes.At least he will find peace now and be with Kim again.Now soon however those that knew him must face our world without him. With only our memories of that big cuddly teddy bear and the world he tried for those he loved to make a better world for.
Rest in Peace my Friend
you earned your place in many hearts
and memories
Kimmie Townsend
So sad, and I didn't know about the wife....
That seems very selfish on the face of it.
No one deserves to be abandoned like she did to him.
Another of the pioneers in online fiction, well, the TG side of it is soon to pass.
Sad.
Hang in there Cathy.
John in Wauwatosa
John in Wauwatosa
God Bless Bill
Rest In Peace and GOD bless you Bill AKA Pickles everybody should know someone like him and those who did know him where truly blessed. I hope his passing was peaceful.
Piper GOD bless you for taking care of him , I hope your upcoming move goes smoothly.
Good think happen to Good people
My best friend was also named Bill and left us to early I miss my Bill very much.
HUGS TO ALL RICHIE2
Added Comment
My wife and I started talking about what Piper is going thru right now and having to make the desision to take Bill off life support .WE JUST HAD A LONG CRY so are hearts go out to you Piper
STILL CRYING RICHIE2 & TRISSA2
I, too
Remember Pickles fondly from Crystal's chat room. I honestly don't know what to say here other than my heart goes out to both of you right now.
Maggie
I only 'met' Pickles one time in the chatroom ..
and was too new to do more than watch as he interacted with the long time regulars.
And I only saw Kim online a few times,though I did talk with her.
But having met you, I know how much their loss means to you.
Chin Up, dear
It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice.
Holly
Remember him...
...as he was in the past (yes, I know you and everyone's already doing so) rather than the past few years.
Anyway, it sounds as though he was largely responsible for nudging you into the world of web design and hosting - so you could say that every time you tinker with one of the many websites you're responsible for, you're carrying out his legacy. The decisions and actions you took then really came into their own last year, when in the aftermath of another untimely death you played a major role in the rescue and relocation of his portfolio of sites - something that may not have been possible for you to do had it not been for the help, support and guidance of Bill way back when.
As the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, then only left-handers are in their right mind!
Best wishes...
Best wishes to YOU... He's the second person you've cared for whose body failed them.
Best wishes to you going forward... Because, you know both of them would want you to.
Annette
hang in, piper.
I lost my mom and dad in kind of similar manners. It hurts, but gets easier over time. I remember him from that time here when he tried to get up and instead just slid down onto the floor and we had to get him up from sitting there. The same thing happened with my dad once or twice and he weighed a good 300 pounds. Funny when you look back at it, but Oh, geez when it happened. Call if you need to,
Yeah he was.
Yeah he was.