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 Bill
DuBois, age 62, died peacefully on 12/2/99. Born
William Huxford DuBois, Jr. on 8/13/37 in Stamford,
Connecticut, Bill was taught pride in his country
and love for God and his family: sister Jane, mother
Anna O'Keefe DuBois, and father William Huxford
DuBois. In 1959, Bill married Brenda Morley, and in
1960 they had a beautiful baby girl, Cindy. This
marriage ended in divorce, and in 1964, after the
death of his father and mother, Bill trekked across
country to Los Angeles. In 1965 he married Sandy
Partlow. His precious children from his marriage to
Sandy are Shelley, 1 year old when Bill joined the
family; Lori, born in 1966; Billy in 1969; and Anna
in 1972. Bill has since been graced with 9
grandchildren, all treasures.
In
1975, Bill discovered a program of recovery from
alcoholism. During Bill's 24 years of sobriety, he
developed the honored nickname of Big Book Bill. At
Bill's memorial services in Portland, Oregon (12/4
at Reedwood Friends and 12/12 at West Hills
Friends), a myriad of his recovering companions
recounted the role he played in helping them with
recovery. They shared humorous, poignant, loving,
and grateful stories. One friend shared that such a
memorial doesn't just happen; it is developed
through years of living from the heart: loving,
giving, receiving, in touch with others.
In
his desire to make this world better, Bill became
politically active. Initially, he worked with the
Portland-based Coalition for Human Dignity, and
later he supported human rights through Solidarity,
through writing for and distributing the Portland
Alliance newspaper, and through participating in
KBOO radio's Ol' Mole Variety Hour.
In
sobriety, Bill actively pursued a spiritual path
through visiting Swami Muktananda in southern
California; practicing meditation; visiting Dadaji,
a holy man from India; reading spiritual books;
studying with the Rosicrucians; and carrying the
message of recovery from alcoholism.
Bill
also found his niche when he studied hair design. He
became a consummate hair stylist, practicing his
profession for 20 years, first in east Portland,
then downtown, and in his sunset years, through his
upscale mobile barbering business.
In
1984, Bill married me, Jeanine Rabedeau DuBois. We
enjoyed 15.5 years of love, challenges, shared
adventures, and the joy of being best friends.
During those years, Bill discovered the excitement
of rafting, the pleasure of camping, the wonder of
exploring the heavens with increasingly
sophisticated telescopes, and simple delight in
sitting on our condominium deck, the "tree house,"
while he looked out over the Tualatin Valley.
On
9/27/99, at OHSU in Portland, Oregon, Bill underwent
an 8.5 hour surgery to have a tumor on his liver
removed. Complications, including kidney failure and
extremely low blood pressure, left him in intensive
care for the remaining 67 days of his life. During
his entire stay, his condition vacillated between
life and death. The night before Bill died, after 3
days of incoherence, Bill miraculously maintained
eye contact and listened as I told him he would wake
up in God's arms. He shook his head "yes" and kissed
my finger. Bill died at OHSU, surrounded by family
and friends as we sang songs written for him. His
passing was utterly peaceful, and there have since
been many signs of his happiness with God.
One
of his nurses wrote, "I have never in my career seen
so many friends and family visit. To me, it was a
reflection of the many, many lives that you have
touched and the many hearts that you have warmed."
We
welcome you to visit and contribute to Bill's
memorial web site: <http://www.teleport.com/~jbdubois/Bill_DuBois.shtml>.
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