William Julius Maron 07/03/53 - 08/19/11

The last time I Shot with Bill at The Rock, and the last picture I ever took of him. Memorial Day, May 30, 2011

My buddy Bill died much sooner than later. He'd found out he was sick a year before this picture was taken. On this day he had shot two rounds of skeet and then sat down and said, "That's it for me." 


Bill was a kindred spirit and the big brother I never had. He would drive anywhere to shoot a round of sporting clays no matter how far as long as someone was riding shotgun and the beer was within reach. He liked to laugh at himself and others and did so often--especially at my shooting.

May 30th, 2010, a year before the above photo and shortly after he told me he was sick, and a day after Dennis Hopper died of prostate cancer.

He was a deep thinker despite his bourgeoisie tendencies. A confident person and a hell of a shooter, Bill would never let the opportunity to eat, drink, and be merry slip past.


I never got to see the golfer Bill--he probably would have been alien to me. But I did get to see Bill the fisherman when he took me and JB on the Intercoastal Waterway around Southport, NC a year ago this week. That was the trip of a lifetime for me even though I am not a real fisherman.

August 16th, 2010, a year ago this week. We were all going to go this year too.

It was cool to see Bill and JB in their element catching skates and fish while I baked in the sun and drank beer not having any luck. It was near these waters that Bill shared the saying, "If you're going to drink all day, you have to start in the morning."


Anyway, you know how it is; the Bill we knew slipped away shortly before his body gave up, and all that was left was our tired friend who was in pain, unable to care for himself and at the mercy of others which I'm sure he disliked...my heart goes out to his wife Shawn.


I wish I had known his middle name was Julius! I could have worked him over good with that.

Bill at this year's Drake Naylor Invitational. May 28th, 2011.

Well good-bye, Bill. How quickly we lost you. May you rest in peace.