My memories of Bill Henley began in 1981. To tell the whole story, I have to go further back in time. Bobbie was married to my brother, Tom Dunlap. They were married for over 11 years, from March 15, 1969 to August 30, 1980. On that terrible August day, Tom was killed in a motorcycle accident. Bobbie was almost 33 and I was 26. Thankfully, not long after Tom’s death, Bill and Olivia Henley came into Bobbie’s life. Why was I thankful? Losing my brother was a horrible loss for me, my parents and my siblings. For Bobbie, losing her much loved husband was unbelievably devastating. Bill and Olivia Henley brought love and healing into Bobbie’s life, and vicariously, for the rest of my family. This incredible man loved Bobbie so much that he totally accepted her love for Tom and always let her talk about him. He also accepted Tom’s family and welcomed all of us into their lives. During the first half of the 1980’s, we saw quite a bit of Bobbie and Bill. Bobbie was the Maid/Matron of Honor on December 4, 1981, when I married my husband, Skip Frantz, in Dearborn, Michigan. Of course, Bill and Olivia were also there. Less than a year later, on October 16, 1982, Skip and I, along with my mom and dad, attended Bobbie and Bill’s wedding at their home in Loomis, CA. When my father, Thomas A. Dunlap, passed away in March, 1985, Bobbie and Bill came back to Michigan for the funeral. Which brings me to a particularly treasured memory of Bill Henley. I remember we were sitting on a sofa in an alcove of a restaurant or possibly a funeral home, just the two of us. Bill made a point of telling me it was o.k. to talk about my brother, Tom. He said that he and Bobbie talked about Tom all the time and he didn’t want me to feel awkward if the subject of Tom came up while he was around. Considering the fact that I was in my late 20’s, I probably didn’t appreciate Bill’s complete candor as much as I would now. But I will never forget our conversation. It changed everything. Here was this man, who loved Bobbie so much, he never considered being jealous of Tom. As the years went by and I experienced more of life, I came to appreciate Bill even more. I have not known many men or women who would have gone into a marriage with such an open heart. Every time I would call Bobbie, Bill would usually answer the phone. We’d have a short conversation and then I would talk to Bobbie. Bill reminded me a lot of my dad. Because, like my dad, he didn’t talk a lot but when he did speak, I would listen. I appreciated his intelligence, his sense of humor, his generous heart and his love for his family, not necessarily in that order. As I write this, my heart is broken because I know that Bobbie, Olivia, David and the rest of their family have now lost Bill. There are no words that can completely convey the sorrow that I feel at the loss of such an amazing man. I pray for God’s Peace to envelop the entire Henley family and assuage their broken hearts.