Farewell, Bill Bullock

He was a stubborn, cocky, argumentative, hotheaded, bullheaded, pigheaded insufferable showoff with a love of strong drink, a streak of larceny and a roving eye.

Bill and I both joined the Pirates five years ago and we became fast friends. He was an athletic young tiger with long wavy hair, a loud and hearty laugh, and a wide-eyed fascination with absolutely everything pertaining to the Seafair Pirates: the costumes, the cannon, the parades, the kids, even things as mundane as club business meetings. He just couldn't get enough.

The Pirates were Bill's heroes and his enthusiasm for the club was infectious.

And then there was the Duck. Nobody ever loved nine tons of steel the way Bill Bullock loved Moby Duck. The Safeway beverage plant in Bellevue, where Bill worked for 20 years, became Moby Duck's home. He washed her every day. When dark clouds gathered, he covered her with tarps to protect her from the rain.

I mentioned that Bill had a love of strong drink--those of us who knew him often called him "3-sheets"--but he faithfully followed our strict code of conduct and when called upon to drive the Duck, he never touched a drop.

Nobody really knows when Bill first got sick. He was diagnosed with stomach cancer in September of 2000, but he had suffered from what he assumed was an ulcer for several months before some of us finally managed to persuade him to see a doctor. Did I mention Bill was stubborn?

What he thought was an ulcer turned out to be a tumor, and by the time he was diagnosed, it had already spread from his stomach to his liver. Through months of chemotherapy, radiation treatments and surgery, Bill never lost his sense of humor or his optimism. The strength he showed throughout his long illness was an inspiration to everyone who was lucky enough to know him.

Bill lost the good fight on Saturday, March 30. He's survived by two snarling, man-eating Yorkshire terriers named Comet and Emily, and a whole lot of people who are richer for having known him, and poorer for having lost him.


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