The Passing of an Icon

[Pat Anderson]

Here is an email we received from El Fiero yesterday:

"After living a full life, Bill passed away late afternoon on New Year’s Day. We were all together sharing our love which Bill and I have shared for the last 65 years. We will all miss him greatly."

Bill and El were a great inspiration to the C-Brat community. If you have not already read it, spend some time reading about Bill's and El's amazing cruising adventures here.

[DayBreak]

Very sad. Following those early boating cruises across the U.S. and enjoying all of their wonderful photos is what got me excited to possibly own a C-Dory. Our condolences to El and the family.

[thataway]

Our condolences to El. RIP Bill.

[colbysmith]

Sad to hear about Bill. Condolences and prayers for El and their families. I didn't know them personally, but followed some of their stories. I believe they retired early and did much more traveling. Life is short folks. Thus why I do so much traveling while I can. The C-Dory is a great boat for trailering, and there are so many places to visit with it. I envy Bill and El's travels and they inspire me. BTW, that's a great read that Pat linked to. And I highly recommend it. Colby

[Robert H. Wilkinson]

Sorry to hear this. An amazing couple that were an inspiration to many on this site and I'm sure to many who met them on their travels as well.

Rob

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Pat, thanks for sharing the sad news. I greatly enjoyed our times at Lake Powell with El and Bill. Condolences to El.

[Miafun1]

So sorry to hear this news. Bill and El inspired so many to embrace boat cruising and opened new adventures. Thank you for sharing.

[TyBoo]

Oh my, what wonderful people and magnificent friends. Bill was an amazingly good and kind person and my heart goes out to El at the loss we all feel but she must carry.

[Hunkydory]

JoLee & I, first met Bill & El in 2004 at Yellowstone Lake on the return from our 2nd trip to Alaska with our CD22. At the time, we didn’t know anything abut them or this C-Brat site. We were in a hurry to get home, so the conversation was for only about 45 minutes & they didn’t have their CD22 Halcyon with them as they were on a road trip. It was easy to see from this short conversation, they were a unique & exceptional couple, who owned the same type C-Dory boat as us with a similar zest for adventure & we hoped to share some time together with them in the future. They did tell us about the C-Brat web site & that winter we read much about their travels & finally joined & started sharing in early 2005. Not knowing if this site would last & their information lost, as a Christmas’s present to JoLee, I copied their travel post & made a binder book out of what was available at the time. This is how much of an impression they had made on us so early on. Our first C-Dory group gathering with them was in April 2006 at Lake Powell & became the first of many, we were able to share wonderful times on & near the water & hear about their remarkable lives first hand. I know we are only one of so many, whose lives were so positively touched by Bill & together with him & El. It’s sad to hear of his passing & we can only offer our heart felt condolences to El & family. Thank you Pat & Patty for sharing.

Bill & I on Yellowstone Lake in 2008. A time never to forget

Jay & JoLee

[jkidd]

So sad to hear this about Bill. Bill and El were just plain fun to be around I have been missing trips with them for a while now. Best wishes to El and the family. My first Gathering was Pend Oreille in 2007.

[SeaSpray]

Very sad to hear about Bill. I was also influenced by Bill and El's writings before buying my C-Dory. We attended a few early events with them and then the Western Loop event in 2008. I think it was 2018 when we went to Denver for a non boating event and realized they lived in the area. We were able to visit and enjoy their hospitality. They always talked about finding the Good in times when things go wrong.
Steve

[Molly Brown]

Though we never met, and it seems like a lifetime ago, I would read all their posts about the travels and experiences they had on their 22. It fostered my retirement dreams of the possibilities what with El writing all about their current times onboard and Bill giving the "geologic" view. I always felt their writings to be very complimentary. Wonderful reading.

RIP Bill, a life well lived!

James

[JamesTXSD]

Rest in Peace, Bill; and condolences to El and family. This couple influenced many of us to pursue the C-Dory cruising lifestyle. It was the open writing style of their travels in their 22 that convinced us that retiring early was not only doable, but desirable.

Bill was one of the first to reach out when I asked about spending extended time on these boats. It was a treat to exchange laughs when our paths crossed.

This couple is to the C-Dory clan what Lin and Larry Pardey were to sailors; a real integral part of the C-Dory spirit.

[MOOSE]

We extend our condolences to El and their family.

We had a great cruise with El & Bill on Lake Superior in August 2010. We very much enjoyed meeting and traveling with them both in grand surroundings.

Al & Myrna

[Salmon Fisher]

Our condolensces to El and the family.

We never met, but as others have written, Bill and El inspired us to take the next step in purchasing our first C-Dory. I have enjoyed reading their adventures and they sure do inspire us to do more and see more.

RIP Bill.