In Loving Memory of William Tripp

I am deeply saddened to share that we lost a member of our family who we loved very much. I received a phone call today letting me know that Uncle Billy had had a heart attack this morning and passed away, 5 months shy of his 60th birthday. I am so thankful that he was with a friend when this happened and not alone.

My uncle, my mom's brother, was never married and never had his own children. My 2 siblings, myself and our cousin were his surrogate children and he took so much pride and joy in our lives. We are a very tight knit Italian family and not only was he my uncle, but my god father also. I was the first born girl in an Italian family so you can imagine how much my god father loved, adored and of course, spoiled me. He fondly referred to me as Number One. My brother insists that this is because I was the first born but I know it's because I was the favorite.

It is so difficult to put into words what an incredible person my uncle was and the hardships he has faced in his life with no complaints. When he was only a teenager, he was shipped off to fight in the Vietnam War as a healthy and vibrant 18 year old. Not long after his return, he contracted type II diabetes which completely altered his personality and changed his life forever. His diabetes was extremely difficult to manage leading to many, many hospital stays after going into insulin reactions more times than I can remember. Over the summer, Uncle Billy had to have quadruple bypass surgery and the doctors were very impressed with his recovery. Quadruple bypass is a high risk surgery for someone who is healthy so you can imagine how high risk it is for a brittle diabetic. At his last check up with the heart doctor which was about 3 weeks ago, he was given the green light to play golf again. Two weeks ago he left for his annual trip to his condo in Aruba, returning on Sunday night. Two days later, he passed away. 

I was up in the Poconos on a business trip when I received the call. It's amazing how everything can change in a split second. One minute I'm pitching a sale to a customer with plans to hit the Pottery Barn outlet on my way to my next meeting and the next I'm excusing myself to take an urgent phone call from my husband, which of course, ended the meeting. Because I was halfway between Annapolis and my parents in western MA, it made the most sense for me to drive straight up to Mass. I honestly have no idea how I got there safely. I drove for 4 hours in complete silence on autopilot. I had to let several calls from friends go straight to voicemail because I knew I would not be able to talk without breaking down and that wasn't a good idea while driving. I think I am still in a complete state of shock. None of it seems real and I'm expecting to wake up and forget about this horrible nightmare. 

Uncle Billy, you were the most wonderful god father and uncle ever. Words can not express how much you will be missed, not only by me but by all of us who knew and loved you. I am lucky to have known you and to have shared the first 31 years of my life with you and am a better person because of it.