Came across this photo of your Dad, going through some photo's from my Mum.  Was taken in the Newbury Park house sometime around April 22, 2006 (I believe).

Best regards,

Stuart

I love this picture on your "home page" - it was from a trip we took to Fort Hamilton in Marin County where you did some of your Air Force training.  Why didn't I record your stories?  You are missed every day.

Sat on the SF bench yesterday to wish you a Happy Fathers Day and am still thinking about it.  Miss you so much.  Found this and was wishing I could remember it myself!  And for some reason I never noticed the pen in your swanky shirt pocket.  Nice!!

Tonight we are having a few of your favorite things! Mexican pizza and Cran Cherry!!! Love you and miss you like crazy. Happy Birthday!!!!

Bill had such a kind – yet inspiring – way about him.  His questions pointed out issues, ideas, potholes – all without putting a brake on progress.  The short time he mentored me and helped bring my young business along has had a lasting impact on how I work with my team – I am always looking over my shoulder wondering what pearl of wisdom Bill would send my way.  He is still a kind and inspiring presence in my life and I am forever grateful to his family for sharing him so generously.

Nancy Jenkins 

I am having your favorite-cherry pie--at our bench spot next to the bridge. There is a very full moon so I am thinking you are looking through it at me. Maybe in future years I will have something pithy to say, but today I just miss you, like I have for every day this year. I truly hope you know how much you are still with us. 

Dad, you would have had fun with us at the MMRF race in Santa Barbara last weekend.  Jodi ran the half marathon, I walked it, and Mom, Teri and Lori cheered us and the other MMRF racers on.  The best part was that the group honored you with a picture on their backs, so not only did I get to see your face bobbing up and down in front of me, but people would pass me with a spririted "Get 'Er Done" just like you would always say!  It wasn't the same as having you there, but it was still a good day.  We miss you terribly.

When Billy was 2yrs old,Jean & I were 8yrs old.  He would giggle and laught with glee when we sang him this song:
 Oh Billy,oh Billy how you are loved
 Oh Billy,oh Billy heavens above
  You make our sad hearts jump with joy
 And when your near we just cain't 
 Sit still a minute
  Oh Billy,oh Billy please tell us true
  What makes us love you so  
  Your so handsome its true       
  And when we look at you    
  It's just, Oh Billy, Oh Billy, OOOOOOH !!!!    

No matter where we are, dear brother, this will always be true.    

I had met Bill once or twice during his corporate career but my relationship and friendship with Bill started afterwards during his consulting period and work we received and shared and developed through Wally Graham.  I am going to go right to the big idea, the consultants’ aha.  Bill was one of the finest human beings I ever met.  A wonderful person, he loved learning and teaching and helping people.  We traveled together quite a bit and had lots of down time together while working.  Bill constantly talked about his family, his pride and love of family.  He talked always with enthusiasm, whether work or play or about family.  Many of the tools, technology and processes of our work were new to Bill.  Not only was he a quick learner, he embraced every new idea and could make wonderful connections and applications with clients.  We worked as a team for several months traveling each week to Morenci, AZ to work with a team at the Phelps Dodge Copper Mine.  The greatest joy of that work was driving back to Phoenix every Friday and listening to Bill say, “Ah, there’s nothing finer than a beautiful Friday afternoon and seeing Morenci in your rear-view mirror.”  And as soon as we got clear of the hills, he was on his cell phone calling his wife and daughters.  During his retirement and recovery years in Phoenix, I would get together once or twice a year with Bill.  Despite whatever hardships he was having with his health, treatment and recovery, he never complained a bit – unless it messed up his golf game.  He talked glowingly about the support he received at Mayo Clinic.  I am a better person for having known Bill. I have a great appreciation for his spirit – and it will live on.  David Hume

My family visited Bill's family in California when I was a tween.  It was a big family gathering and lots of us had flown in from Nebraska, but not everyone had rented a car. 

At one point, the adults, or Bill, decided to take us all to the country club for supper.  Bill drove a big, black sedan of some kind, and did we ever pack those seats with kids.  I'm guessing that the four Manby girls were cozy in the back seat, with my two small brothers on their laps, and I was maybe sitting between Chaz and Bill in the front.  It was a short trip, and the country club staff had a chuckle at our 'clown car' and all the kids that poured out of it. 

This is what I remember most about Uncle Bill:  There was always room in his heart (or sedan) for more kids.  Given the number of Eickhoff cousins, that's a lot of heart.  

With love,

Amy Dietz

(Chaz's niece)

We always laughed every time this commercial came on...it never got old.  In an effort to make you laugh on Sunday, we turned a few living room items into a "camel costume".  

[Camel] 
Uh-oh! Guess what day it is?? Guess what day it is! Huh…anybody? Julie! Hey…guess what day it is?? Ah come on, I know you can hear me. Mike Mike Mike Mike Mike… What day is it Mike? Ha ha ha ha ha ha! Leslie, guess what today is?

[Leslie]
It’s Hump Day.

[Camel]
Whoot Whoot!

Ronny, how happy are folks who save hundreds of dollars switching to GEICO?

[Ronny]
I’d say happier than a camel on Wednesday.

HUMP DAY!!! YAY!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWBhP0EQ1lA

I was priveledged to have Bill as a business partner and mentor during the heady days of the Dot-Com Boom (and bust!) in Silicon Valley.  I don't know how we met -- the Monterey peninsula was a small place -- but it quickly became clear that we made a great team.  We formed Monterey Venture Partners in 1999.

Over the next  few years Bill taught me important lessons about life that I have carried ever since.  Here's my favorites:

"Never Let em See You Sweat".  
I used to get so frustrated with small setbacks, impossible assignments, and life in general... Bill was always there to calm me down and to remind me that perception is reality. He taught me both in word and in deed that a true professional takes the complexity out of a situation, takles the challenges, and reports back to the customer with a simple solution and a giant smile.  It's amazing how far that single piece of advice has taken me.

"Fake It Till you Make It" 
We spent a couple years (or so it now seems) trying to launch a giant venture capital fund --  despite our total lack of experience in the industry.  The fact that we had no idea what we were doing never stood in our way: Bill would simply smile and remind me that we'd figure it out eventually... and in the meantime, we'd "fake it".... by which he meant we'd ignore our self-doubt, put on a brave face, and learn it as we went.  In truth, is there really any other way?  We're all making this up as we go -- so if you're not willing to "fake it" for a while, you're not going to accomplish much.

"Don't Weigh-Out Before You Cube-Out" 
From Bill's days in logistics for Frito Lay, he knew that a truck can only carry a certain amount of product: Sometimes that's limited by weight and sometimes by volume. So, quite literally, you don't want the weight of a box to keep you from stuffing more boxes into a truck.
Bill managed to work this analogy into a million different conversations. It was his way of reminding us to keep an eye on the things that really mattered, to put both the effort into those things that had real value, and to manage the whole process with an eye on the end game.

But what made Bill so amazing to me was how well he lived these same values. He was eternally optimistic, continually learning, and genuinely caring about the most important things in his life.  No matter when we spoke - even as his cancer was draining his energy -- I never heard Bill complain.  He had no room in his life for the negative or dull. Every day was an opportunity to learn and to teach, to share and to laugh.

I started missing Bill the moment I handed him my key to the office we shared and got in the car to move 'back east"... but I miss him so much more now. Few people have affected me as deeply as Bill. The only way I know to honor him is to pass along his deep kindness and caring to each person I meet.  

But even if they never see me sweat ... and even if I fake it like a pro ... and even if I cube out every time... I know that I will spend my life trying to be just half the man he was.

Here's to you Bill.

-DW 

God looked around His garden and found an empty place.
He then looked down upon the earth and saw your tired face.
He put His arms around you and lifted you to rest.
God's garden must be beautiful He always takes the best.
He saw the road was getting rough and the hills were hard to climb,
So He closed your weary eyelids and whispered "Peace be thine."
It broke our hearts to lose you but you didn't go alone,
For part of us went with you the day God called you home.

All my life you've given, you didn't ever take.
You shared more of your smarts and smiles than most can hope to make.
I know you know I love you, and that will never end,
But also know how proud I am to have you as a dad, and a friend.

All my love always,
Niki   

Dear Daddies,

People often wonder how you managed to be so calm with 5 girls in the house- or better yet, trying to get ready in time to leave the house!  Your easy-going disposition is just one of a multitude of things I admire about you.  Your honesty, work ethic and relentless loyalty to those you love will always be an inspiration for how I live my life and treat others. 

I feel so blessed to have spent so much of your retirement with you.  Often it will be the little things I think of:  new restaurants, going to movies, trips to the Apple Store, West Wing marathons, pedicures (the secret is out!), playing with iPads, iPhones, iMacs, cheering on my MMRF runs, becoming a Diamondback fan, watching you go by as you wrapped up the 18th hole, watching the rain- even if it only happened a few times a year, backrubs- okay, so that was mostly fun for you, lattes at Starbucks, fresh cinnamon rolls, funny commercials, our family jokes…the list is endless.

On top of our adventures, I was so proud to cheer you on as you faced your cancer with an immeasurable strength.  I never knew it was possible to be in such good spirits when there were so many challenges.  I like to think you knew, but I never told you outright how proud I am of your fight.  For six years you pushed yourself, gracefully and energetically, willing to try every option your amazing Mayo team presented, always up for the next treatment.  It was an honor to sit alongside of you while Dr. Fonseca, Angela, and the Mayo team would ask, “How are you?” and your response was always something close to “Good, doing good.”  You even became famous for it. 

It brings me great comfort that you knew how loved you are and that your happiest moments were at home with your ‘chickies’.  

You will always be with me, in my heart, in my laughter, in my tears- you will continue to guide all that I do, just like you always have. 

I am forever grateful for you.   

All of my love,
Jodies