Winter And My Soul
Today is the first day of winter. It's also the shortest day of the year and therefore the darkest. It got a little darker with the news that my good friend Bill Thorpe passed away this morning.
Bill had been ill for some time and had been in the hospital for the last couple of months. As hard as it can be to say his passing comes as somewhat of a blessing. Not only as an end to his suffering but also as a relief to his kids Matt and Jenny who have been here with him since October. Bill was one of a kind. He was never one to bite his tongue and offered his advice whether it was requested on not. One of my first and favourite memories of Bill is being with him on a sideline in Saint John; him as coach and me as a young spectator. One of his players had the ball and Bill was imploring him to "pass the ball!"; the kid took his advice and moved the ball to a teammate. Apparently Bill didn't approve of his choice and yelled "Not to him!". He was very passionate about the game and remained so. He would always come to our games and often show up at practice to check in. The Caledonia Cup was with him at the hospital since Matt took it to him after we won it November 5th.
He leaves quite a legacy. I don't want to overstate Bill's importance to the club because there were a group of people that founded the club, another that made it into what it is today, and still another that will see it continue to flourish. But when we gather at the rugby club next Thursday after his funeral it will be a roomful of people that had been coached first by Bill or (as in my case) were coached first by someone coached by Bill. He also lays claim to naming the club the Loyalists which is historically apt but more importantly has a meaning to us that lies at the heart of the word. We are Loyal.
W.W. Thorpe will be missed but his spirit lives on in Matt and Jenny and the Loyalist Rugby Club.
Rest in peace Bill.
Simon Pacey - Loyalist
posted by Vitamin S @ 6:12 p.m.
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