Bill Shriver was my best and dearest childhood friend. Most of my fond memories from 7th grade until 1974 (when I moved to Virginia Beach) have Bill in them. For 5 or 6 years, Bill spent almost as much time at my family's farm as he did at his own. We must have worked in the hayfield and camped out on the hillsides of our farm a couple of hundred times together. All 3 wrecks I had on my bicycle were while trying to keep up with Bill on his bike. We played a couple years of baseball on Prosperity & AmPro's baseball teams together. When I got hit in the eye with a rock after baseball practice, Bill was there beside me, he came to the hospital to console me, and a few days later (warming up beside me in the outfield) when I found out I couldn't play baseball any more, Bill quit playing baseball to hang out with me. Foolishly, we both started drinking liquor, sometime during the winter of 1966-67, when young Eric Taylor began planting bottles of his dad's liquor in their barn for us.
While we were 14 & 15, Bill had a Yamaha 100 motorcycle and I had a Honda 90, both of which topped out at exactly 52 mph. Bill kept that Yamaha 100 at our place most of the time. And during two summers we kept those motorcycles at their top speed a lot, terrorizing the back roads of Washington Co., going everywhere our parents didn't allow us to go on them. We spent 4 years acting up together in McGuffey High School's chorus. Bill was a good wrestler, and he taught me the holds and high school wrestling's scoring rules. Bill fixed me up with almost every girl I ever dated during our teen years. Bill helped me learn how to dance, and how to steal kisses from our girlfriends with style. Back in the day, the Bill Shriver I knew, was the most faithful friend a guy could ask for. Bill was always there when I needed him, and he always treated me like gold. And, no one has ever been able to make me laugh longer or harder than Bill always could! After high school, we carpooled to Pittsburgh Technical Inst. (now Triangle Tech) together for a year.
I first met my wife Nancy at a dance Bill invited me to at his church. He and Stan Krenzelak were the best men at our wedding in 1973. Nancy and I moved to Virginia Beach in 1974, and Bill has always been the one friend from PA that I missed the most. Nancy, our three children, and my friends have always had to endure many stories about my younger days, most of which have Bill in them. Since 1974, I have only seen Bill occasionally, when I would come back to PA for a visit. But, he was always more excited to see me than any of my old friends and family members were. Bill really loved me, as much as any man I have ever known on the face of this earth has! I will always be eternally grateful to God for allowing Bill to be a part of my life. Losing him has left an emptiness in my heart that no one but God can fill. But, because of the mercy and grace of our great Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I'm looking forward to seeing Bill again in Heaven!
What a great story! Thanks so much for sharing. I'm so sorry we lost such a fun classmate and I'm sorry you have lost your very best friend! I wish you could join us at our reunion on the 22nd. It's not to late you know!
James "Duke" Cole Deceased 4/23/2020
Bill Shriver was my best and dearest childhood friend. Most of my fond memories from 7th grade until 1974 (when I moved to Virginia Beach) have Bill in them. For 5 or 6 years, Bill spent almost as much time at my family's farm as he did at his own. We must have worked in the hayfield and camped out on the hillsides of our farm a couple of hundred times together. All 3 wrecks I had on my bicycle were while trying to keep up with Bill on his bike. We played a couple years of baseball on Prosperity & AmPro's baseball teams together. When I got hit in the eye with a rock after baseball practice, Bill was there beside me, he came to the hospital to console me, and a few days later (warming up beside me in the outfield) when I found out I couldn't play baseball any more, Bill quit playing baseball to hang out with me. Foolishly, we both started drinking liquor, sometime during the winter of 1966-67, when young Eric Taylor began planting bottles of his dad's liquor in their barn for us.
While we were 14 & 15, Bill had a Yamaha 100 motorcycle and I had a Honda 90, both of which topped out at exactly 52 mph. Bill kept that Yamaha 100 at our place most of the time. And during two summers we kept those motorcycles at their top speed a lot, terrorizing the back roads of Washington Co., going everywhere our parents didn't allow us to go on them. We spent 4 years acting up together in McGuffey High School's chorus. Bill was a good wrestler, and he taught me the holds and high school wrestling's scoring rules. Bill fixed me up with almost every girl I ever dated during our teen years. Bill helped me learn how to dance, and how to steal kisses from our girlfriends with style. Back in the day, the Bill Shriver I knew, was the most faithful friend a guy could ask for. Bill was always there when I needed him, and he always treated me like gold. And, no one has ever been able to make me laugh longer or harder than Bill always could! After high school, we carpooled to Pittsburgh Technical Inst. (now Triangle Tech) together for a year.
I first met my wife Nancy at a dance Bill invited me to at his church. He and Stan Krenzelak were the best men at our wedding in 1973. Nancy and I moved to Virginia Beach in 1974, and Bill has always been the one friend from PA that I missed the most. Nancy, our three children, and my friends have always had to endure many stories about my younger days, most of which have Bill in them. Since 1974, I have only seen Bill occasionally, when I would come back to PA for a visit. But, he was always more excited to see me than any of my old friends and family members were. Bill really loved me, as much as any man I have ever known on the face of this earth has! I will always be eternally grateful to God for allowing Bill to be a part of my life. Losing him has left an emptiness in my heart that no one but God can fill. But, because of the mercy and grace of our great Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I'm looking forward to seeing Bill again in Heaven!
- Duke Cole
Kay Clark
What a great story! Thanks so much for sharing. I'm so sorry we lost such a fun classmate and I'm sorry you have lost your very best friend! I wish you could join us at our reunion on the 22nd. It's not to late you know!