'Bill' 'Willy' William H. Abbott and I were best friends all during the 1967-71 years.
God only knows why Bill ever hung with me, but I am forever grateful for his dubious choice. Bill changed the arc of my life with his steadfast and honest friendship, and he was by far the truest friend I ever had. Bill was the buddy I was going to grow old with, sharing lifes memories, having famlies and kids together. But, the DAMNED Viet Nam war robbed us and his Wife Mary of all that - a war that was begun upon a lie, just as the Gulf Wars much later.
At the end of our Senior year mom and I made the unplanned move back to Yuma, after dad died suddenly of "massive leukemia". Bill joined the Army, was posted to the A.S.A as a Code Interceptor, and shipped off the "the shit". While in Southeast Asia Bill and I traded letters and reel tapes, by which I kept track of his adventures. Often being forward deployed, Bill sometimes saw vast sections of the jungle devoid of trees and plants after Agent Orange spraying, and he frequently mentioned his physical distress from these applications of defoliant. In the middle of his deployment, somewhere in 1973, he was sent back home to the El Paso Army Hospital, suffering from the early effects of leukemia as tests revealed. Very shortly I made the bus trip to see he and Mary there, spent a couple days, and no more than a week after my return we got word he died of pneumonia, a secondary effect of the disease I know was caused by his exposure to Agent Orange. While at the hospital Bill looked as healthy and strapping as ever, and was confident of being saved by a bone marrow transplant, yet in a week he was dead.
Dad and Bill both taken far too early by the same hand - Acute Lymphatic Leukemia. How strange and cruel life can be. Dad died in May of 1971, just before my graduation from West, and a few weeks before his retirement from the Southern Pacific railroad. And Bill died before he could enjoy a life in the sun, where he deserved to be.
During high school Bill nearly always picked me up in his old Ford station wagon, in a turn-out street off Thomas Road, close to my trailer court home just South of Heard grade school. I helped out with gas money when possible, and we sometimes had to scrape a few dollars together to put oil in his rattle trap. That old machine never quit, and on cold winter mornings the heater never failed us. It was just as reliable as Bill.
Most mornings well before 1st period we went for coffee and a roll at Mel's Diner off Grand Avenue near the fairgrounds, except on those days when Bill had to get to school early for Rifle Team meetings. Mel's was the inspiration for the TV show Alice. Somewhere I still have a business card from that place, kept as an introduction to the producer of the show. Alas, I never sent the letter of explanation regarding our connection to Mel’s, and why Alice was so cool to us.
At lunch and during off periods we two often hooked up with our third hand Steve Arnold, and would sit on one of the planter walls around the trees North of the Cafeteria, eating and chatting. By our Sophomore year Bill, Steve, and I were the ROTC Mafia, always scheming something to make our duties less boring - to the constant dismay of our Regular Army leader Sgt Combs.
We were a happy trio until near the end of our 4th year when we began realizing that Viet Nam was closing in on us, having been briefed by returning upper classmen for the past 3 years, and now putting together the truth of the conflict, and our potentil roles in it - we were scared shitless. Somehow Steve and I skated, but Bill bucked up and joined. Not a day goes by that I wish he had of fled to Canada, although none of us were brave enough to do that.
The kids nowadays are way smarter than we were then. We just went along with the program, when we should have been protesting or leaving the country.
Every single day since he died in 1973 I have missed his presence in my life. Bill foreverafter defined what freindship is to me. I love Bill Abbott, and his absence is palpably painful.
Well, that's my story - and I'm sticking to it.
PLEASE PLEASE send me any and all stories you have from those days. Toward the goal of a book I am gathering stories on West High, and I NEED YOUR HELP. Also, any stories of The Valley during the 60's & 70's are also most sincerely needed! Two titles in the works that need your input.
Hello, You probably don't know me, I went to Carl Hayden. Bill was my husband. He was my one and only soul-mate. By the way, he died on April 29, 1973 from an Agent Orange induced illness: Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia. I didn't know about the Agent Orange thing until being re-united with Larry Keyes 40 years after I last saw him. I just thought Bill got sick.
Many of you probably didn't know that Bill was going to be a minister. He had preached 6 times in his short life; three times at Westdale Church of the Nazarene and 3 times at Port-of-Call Mission. He used to sing with me in church because I wrote my own songs. He had a beautiful bass voice and a smile that would knock your socks off.
Bill and I were only married a little over a year, but the year we had was filled with nothing but happiness. He was the best husband anyone could have had. I still don't know why God blessed me with him. I was truely not worthy of him.
When Bill died, I felt like God ripped my heart out of my chest and stomped on it. Yet, I do not blame God for his death. God is good...all the time. All the time...God is good. Sometimes I still feel the pain and sorrow of Bills loss. I never really got over losing him, I just learned to live with it.
Finding Larry Keyes, however, was a God-send. I finally have someone to reminice with who knew Bill as well as I did.
This is not" good-bye," Bill. This is "See you later." I will see you soon either when Jesus returns to get us, or I die. Either way, I am ready to go Home.
Larry Keyes: Bill enlisted because his birthday was number 15 for the draft. He made a higher rank and more money by enlisting. He had no choice. He would have been drafted in.
Daniel Perry (1973)
Knew him for two years at West, enjoyed his company and was shocked like everyone else when I heard that he had died so soon after graduation.
Larry Keyes (1971)
'Bill' 'Willy' William H. Abbott and I were best friends all during the 1967-71 years.
God only knows why Bill ever hung with me, but I am forever grateful for his dubious choice. Bill changed the arc of my life with his steadfast and honest friendship, and he was by far the truest friend I ever had. Bill was the buddy I was going to grow old with, sharing lifes memories, having famlies and kids together. But, the DAMNED Viet Nam war robbed us and his Wife Mary of all that - a war that was begun upon a lie, just as the Gulf Wars much later.
At the end of our Senior year mom and I made the unplanned move back to Yuma, after dad died suddenly of "massive leukemia". Bill joined the Army, was posted to the A.S.A as a Code Interceptor, and shipped off the "the shit". While in Southeast Asia Bill and I traded letters and reel tapes, by which I kept track of his adventures. Often being forward deployed, Bill sometimes saw vast sections of the jungle devoid of trees and plants after Agent Orange spraying, and he frequently mentioned his physical distress from these applications of defoliant. In the middle of his deployment, somewhere in 1973, he was sent back home to the El Paso Army Hospital, suffering from the early effects of leukemia as tests revealed. Very shortly I made the bus trip to see he and Mary there, spent a couple days, and no more than a week after my return we got word he died of pneumonia, a secondary effect of the disease I know was caused by his exposure to Agent Orange. While at the hospital Bill looked as healthy and strapping as ever, and was confident of being saved by a bone marrow transplant, yet in a week he was dead.
Dad and Bill both taken far too early by the same hand - Acute Lymphatic Leukemia. How strange and cruel life can be. Dad died in May of 1971, just before my graduation from West, and a few weeks before his retirement from the Southern Pacific railroad. And Bill died before he could enjoy a life in the sun, where he deserved to be.
During high school Bill nearly always picked me up in his old Ford station wagon, in a turn-out street off Thomas Road, close to my trailer court home just South of Heard grade school. I helped out with gas money when possible, and we sometimes had to scrape a few dollars together to put oil in his rattle trap. That old machine never quit, and on cold winter mornings the heater never failed us. It was just as reliable as Bill.
Most mornings well before 1st period we went for coffee and a roll at Mel's Diner off Grand Avenue near the fairgrounds, except on those days when Bill had to get to school early for Rifle Team meetings. Mel's was the inspiration for the TV show Alice. Somewhere I still have a business card from that place, kept as an introduction to the producer of the show. Alas, I never sent the letter of explanation regarding our connection to Mel’s, and why Alice was so cool to us.
At lunch and during off periods we two often hooked up with our third hand Steve Arnold, and would sit on one of the planter walls around the trees North of the Cafeteria, eating and chatting. By our Sophomore year Bill, Steve, and I were the ROTC Mafia, always scheming something to make our duties less boring - to the constant dismay of our Regular Army leader Sgt Combs.
We were a happy trio until near the end of our 4th year when we began realizing that Viet Nam was closing in on us, having been briefed by returning upper classmen for the past 3 years, and now putting together the truth of the conflict, and our potentil roles in it - we were scared shitless. Somehow Steve and I skated, but Bill bucked up and joined. Not a day goes by that I wish he had of fled to Canada, although none of us were brave enough to do that.
The kids nowadays are way smarter than we were then. We just went along with the program, when we should have been protesting or leaving the country.
Every single day since he died in 1973 I have missed his presence in my life. Bill foreverafter defined what freindship is to me. I love Bill Abbott, and his absence is palpably painful.
Well, that's my story - and I'm sticking to it.
PLEASE PLEASE send me any and all stories you have from those days. Toward the goal of a book I am gathering stories on West High, and I NEED YOUR HELP. Also, any stories of The Valley during the 60's & 70's are also most sincerely needed! Two titles in the works that need your input.
Larry Keyes
K7BDD@arrl.net
www.K7BDD.com
Mary Abbott (Rogers)
Hello, You probably don't know me, I went to Carl Hayden. Bill was my husband. He was my one and only soul-mate. By the way, he died on April 29, 1973 from an Agent Orange induced illness: Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia. I didn't know about the Agent Orange thing until being re-united with Larry Keyes 40 years after I last saw him. I just thought Bill got sick.
Many of you probably didn't know that Bill was going to be a minister. He had preached 6 times in his short life; three times at Westdale Church of the Nazarene and 3 times at Port-of-Call Mission. He used to sing with me in church because I wrote my own songs. He had a beautiful bass voice and a smile that would knock your socks off.
Bill and I were only married a little over a year, but the year we had was filled with nothing but happiness. He was the best husband anyone could have had. I still don't know why God blessed me with him. I was truely not worthy of him.
When Bill died, I felt like God ripped my heart out of my chest and stomped on it. Yet, I do not blame God for his death. God is good...all the time. All the time...God is good. Sometimes I still feel the pain and sorrow of Bills loss. I never really got over losing him, I just learned to live with it.
Finding Larry Keyes, however, was a God-send. I finally have someone to reminice with who knew Bill as well as I did.
This is not" good-bye," Bill. This is "See you later." I will see you soon either when Jesus returns to get us, or I die. Either way, I am ready to go Home.
Mary (Mary DeYoung Abbott Rogers)
Mary Abbott (Rogers)
Larry Keyes: Bill enlisted because his birthday was number 15 for the draft. He made a higher rank and more money by enlisting. He had no choice. He would have been drafted in.