Bill Swavely / Billy Dee 

Billy Dee……

Most of you know, I knew Billy for 46 yrs.  We went to El Modena together, and thus my memories will be different than yours of this good soul who traveled through this life’s journey.

Billy learned the lessons he was to learn here.  He taught us the lessons we were to learn.

Let me share a few that Billy demonstrated and blessed us with.

He always had the ability to use humor.  He was quick witted, and always had the last word.  2 days before he died he found out I was playing in a golf tournament, and in an effort to be inclusive I asked him to share with me some great lesson he could pass on…… he simply said… “don’t bother playing”.  You see he had played golf with me before.

He had the capacity to Sing, we all have felt that part of his life, it was largely who he was.  I benefited from his voice and guitar playing as he was the talent behind “Blue Steel” our high school rock and roll band, which actually got 4 jobs, all because of Billy.  From that humble beginning he entertained thousands. Music is the soothing medicinal elixir for the soul.    I recently asked him how many songs he actually knew…. 1000 was his answer.  In contrast most of us really only know 1 or 2 that we can really sing and perhaps play with some instrument.  He demonstrated excellence. It is said that dedication and practice are both needed to become excellent. Billy had the ability to do both.

He had the talent to excel at playing Golf.  Again, when we played together, and approached a green, I would struggle with which club to use, he would be thinking of which side of the flag he should land the ball to allow the best putting advantage.  I saw a man here who was not only excellent but humble.  He was good at golf, no doubt, but he hardly would share how really good he was with anyone. I learned to appreciate his humility.

With this exceptional skill in golf he realized that he could teach.  This teaching was not conventional, but by being able to communicate and express the feeling you should have when swinging the club.  The gift of teaching, is the gift of connecting, and sharing unselfishly your skill to benefit another. He taught me that.

There are many other characteristics I could highlight of Billy’s life, but lastly I consider love.  Perhaps his greatest example was the same as Christ’s. He truly had the capacity to love.  I never heard him criticize, and always heard him build up others, be amazed by his friends, be excited for others accomplishments, ask about each person he interacted with, care about what was happening to each individual around him.  He did so not in a superficial way, but in a way that let you know he cared.

Billy’s memory will live long for me; I was blessed by having known him.  We send him off to his next phase of life, having gained from him a better understanding of what we should learn from our journey.  A better understanding of humor, of excellence and dedication, of humility, of teaching and being taught, and most importantly of Love and caring. 

May we all be enriched and grow from our lives touching his ….. for we were all blessed from knowing him and being touched by him.  My prayer would be that we don’t lose that memory in our life.  

Scott was my lifeline while I was taking care of Billy and I can't imagine what I would have done without his kindness and support. I was very touched by Scott's personal message to me.
Thanks Again Scott & Patti!

Sincerely,
Mary

Scott's Message:
"My own comments would have included personally a tribute to you.

Your dedication to this husband of yours was self-less love,  and true charity.

You have actually done what others talked about, giving totally of yourself to another.

Not that it was the intent, but I am sure with that act,  you have a 'ticket' on that train to heaven.  My suspicion is that your heart will continue to be such that you wont loose it."