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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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