You will be missed Bill Pennell

Posting for Tuesday, April 9th, 2013

I started my new job June 4th, 2013 with a smaller than normal training class, there were just 6 of us, which as mind boggling all of the information we learned over 2 months time, was very nice we only had 6 people.  There was me, Margaret, Bill, Stephani, Tyne, and Jenn.  Margaret and Bill had worked together previously at Card Management and found themselves starting a new path again, I thought that was neat, especially how close they were.  We all got a long too which was a plus. 

Bill was a loner of sorts at work, he was a smoker so every time I would go out and walk on my break or lunch, Bill would be out by a tree smoking or smoking in his car and eating his lunch and reading a book in his car.  He always spoke.  He complimented me when I changed my hair cut or color, he was always a wealth of information also. 

I remember the last time I saw him was a night in January when were leaving at 7, our old shift and we were talking about me trying to lose weight and he had said something funny about watching the David Letterman show and they were talking about New Year's Resolutions and weight loss he told me I should try to see if I could see the rerun of the show.  I never saw him again after that.

He said that he had always been super healthy except a couple of times last year when he had pneumonia.  He was the kind of person that didn't take meds no matter what and hated going to the doctor. 

It seems around Christmas he was putting up Christmas decorations in an attic and hit his head, then his shoulder started giving him fits.  After weeks of living through the pain, I call in too stubborn to go to the doctor, he finally broke down and went because his shoulder was hurting so bad.  I remember him telling me he fell asleep at work after that because they had given him muscle relaxers and hadn't taken one a day in his life, and they affected him hard.  He said his team lead insisted he go home and get some rest.  Then I guess the doctor wanted an MRI, that is where they found 3 brain tumors.  He immediately went out on disability, which kind I am not sure, he was thinking about working reduced hours, but now he had to deal with these tumors.  I had just heard about 3 weeks ago on top of all of that, can you imagine, he had to find out more bad news?  He had lung cancer and was terminal.  Unfortunately this cancer took him quick, he passed away April 7.

Brings back so many memories of my dad, who was diagnosed with lung cancer in February 2003 and died May 2003.  The cancer doctors had told us he had up to 6 months to live.  Cancer is a very frightening thing. I hate it and I hate that it takes the ones we love from us.

I wrote this poem dedicated to Bill, a new friend, that joined the Angels in Heaven.



It is with a heavy heart I write this to ease my mind
We lost a co-worker of ours on Sunday, Bill, a soul who was very kind
In a large busy world where you begin a new job, new chapter,make new friends...in our small training class, is where it all began
Bill would ask question after question to make sure he'd understand, he was a very nice man
True, I wasn't extremely close to Bill but we would always speak
I hadn't seen him in several months--I had heard he had become quite weak
My thoughts and prayers are with his family for sure
Cancer is NOT our friend, but we must endure
I'm praying for Bill that he is in a place where there is NO pain
And where there is an abundance of sunshine and very little rain


Rest in peace Bill.  I am glad I met you.