[Mrs G]

Today is the 11-month mark since my best friend and husband left to meet his Maker and be with all those who have passed before. It doesn't seem real. The mere thought of breathing, eating and sleeping seemed impossible in the beginning but yet here we are at 11-months.

I'm sitting here reminiscing about the 22-years I was blessed to have spent with him, all that he endured while battling cancer for 20-years, his quirky sense of humor, that ornery smile and all that he accomplished in his short 42-years here on earth.

All of this got me thinking about when/how each of you might have met Bill? If you didn't have the opportunity to meet him, how did you come to find IOW?

I look forward to the stories! The funnier the better!

Mrs G

[AustinSprinter]

I thank Fred Zirzow, every time we cross paths, from when we met at Quality Inn Tulsa in 2007!!..for letting me know what a great site "IndianaOpenWheel.com" had become for Racer's updates & results!!..thanks again Fred!!..the big Thank You goes to the Gardners for "IOW"!!..and to all who make this the best Racin site out here!!.....
______________
Brucer'

[Danny Burton]

I met Bill at a track I still call IRP. D.O. introduced us and we took it from there.

I recall an ISW race at Lawrenceburg. I was in Section A with Marv and his gang of elderly ne'er do wells. Bill was sitting a few rows ahead of me. Between races someone told Bill that the website had crashed and wasn't working. Bill threw up his hands and said something like, "Oh well. Nothing I can do about it." He knew even then what was and was not important.

I still roam the pits at LPS and think of the golf cart from where Bill surveyed the scene. He seemed to know that a lot of the things we complain about paled in comparison to what really matters.

With other friends and family, Bill is one that I miss at any bullring.

And with that, it's time to pick up a little boy who was just barely getting to know Bill when he passed away. The boy and I are headed to Kokomo. Somehow I think Bill would find that fitting.

Miss you buddy and think about the strong lady that stayed with you to the end and beyond.

DB

[Tony Stewart Racing]

While we ran into Bill from time to time at the track, we always knew where his passion was... in open-wheel racing. While we didn't see him as much as we'd like to have in person, he was never more than an email away! He was a huge supporter of The Prelude To the Dream event at Eldora Speedway and was always willing to help Tony, Eldora & the team promote the event on this board & site. His love for the sport and the people in it will help his memory live on. Thanks to you, Mrs. G, for keeping the board going -- we think of you, Bill and your family often.

[midgy]

I met Bill at Putnamville. He was driving around in his golf cart talking to all the competitors. He was always very gracious when I had questions. He was the best friend a racer could have.

[Jerry Shaw]

I used to go to that other board to post and I made several friends there. One of those friends, Lauren Besecker, posted on there that there was another racing message board that was much better than that one. One that was better moderated and had less name calling, disrespectful posting, etc. than we were used to on the other one. I came here (USACFans.com at the time) and started posting and have never even thought of going back to the other one. After a couple of months here I got a friend request from Bill and shortly after that a PM with his phone number telling me I should give him a call. We talked for quite a while that day and were friends from that day on. I would have no way of counting the hours and hours he and I would talk over the years, after that. Through the ups and downs of this terrible disease, Bill taught me so much about appreciating life and I take a lot less things for granted, than what I did before knowing him. And I always knew if I wanted an honest answer to a question, the type of question that others might just tell me what they thought I wanted to hear, I could ask him. Because if Bill was anything, he was brutally honest. He was funny as hell, too. No matter what it seemed like he was up against, he could always find some humor in it. And I always respected the fact that Bill never used IOW to draw attention to himself. He could have had his name all over the site, but never did. He always said IOW is about the people that post here. Like you said, Shondra, It's hard to believe it's been 11 months.

Jerry

[Midget 89]

I never had the pleasure of meeting Bill, but I so admired his work with the forum. It required a strong, yet gentle, hand to keep this bunch in line.

___________
Wes Stafford

[FishBurger]

I had just recently discovered IOW (had a different name then ;-) ) and when Hayden pulled into Eldora shortly after that with Bill on the wrenches, I beat it down to the pits to look him up. Had to love the guy from that day on. Brian was running really strong that day and it looked for several laps like he might get that USAC feetch win with his buddy Bill standing on top of the hauler waving him on. It was not to be but they became my favorite team up until Brian's accident at Haubstadt which then became scarily serious at Lawrenceburg in the next race. Didn't get to see Bill as often as I would have liked after that, but when I did he always had me laughing and serving as an inspiration to me. Never had the pleasure of meeting you Mrs. G. but know this....if I can ever be of assistance to you from here in the 'Burg or elsewhere, I'm at your disposal.

[Mrs G]

What started off as a very emotional day, ended with several smiles thanks to each of you that replyed!

Bruce - I'm very thankful that Fred sent you our way!

Misha - I hope you know the site continues to be a supporter of The Prelude and TSR!

Danny/Jerry - I hope you know exactly how much your friendship meant to Bill and how thankful I am for the both of you!

Lisa - The gift of speech or BS and socializing were definitely two of his many strengths!

Wes - As Jerry said, IOW is about the people that post!

Marv - Unfortunately, the early years of Bill's racing days I was busy traveling the state playing softball. This prevented me from visiting the various tracks with Bill. I'm sorry to say that I've never been to Lawrenceburg but I plan on changing that this year!

[SprintManDave]

I was introduced to Bill at LPS by Danny Burton ,who also introduced me to this site,and I feel very fortunate for meeting Bill,who was as fine a person as I have ever met.