[CC-ARES-RACES] WB3KYW - SK

[Darryl L Flick]

Bill Jameson, WB3KYW, died this afternoon, and I thought I would tell you
about a wonderful relationship we have with Bill and his wife Jeanne. 

Bill and I met about 9 years ago through the Charles County Amateur Radio
Club.  He and I seemed to hit if off straight away, and I guess it is
because he and I were both radio buffs, one-time civilian pilots, and all
around nice guys hihi.  We had a lot in common, and I took advantage of
his knowledge, for I guess you could say that he was my Elmer.  Bill
taught me quite a lot about amateur radio that could not be learned in a
Gordon West book.  And we spoke at least weekly, and often more than
that.  Bill's lovely wife Jeanne is always a ray of sunshine, and the
four of us easily became great friends.  Many of you recall Bill's
participations in the Doncaster Trail Ride events.  And the Charles
County Fair display put on by CCARC.  Throughout all of those events,
Bill always had his priority in line, and his wife Jeanne was #1.  Jeanne
has been physically disabled for many years, and Bill was the chief cook,
bottle washer, companion, loving husband, father, and the guy that makes
all things better. After his time spent with CCARC, he would rush home to
take care of matters there, too. And from his QTH, he was frequently our
CCARC Weekly Membership Net Control Station.  He didn't need the script.
It flowed as though he had done that for 50 years.  " This is WB3KYW from
the Western Side of Charles County". Very smooth.  

This past Spring, Art Audley (AA3RT) coordinated a field trip and walking
tour of the old Pope's Creek Line, from the old Power Station by Capt.
Billy's, up toward Route 301.  Bill Jameson had a lot of history with
that old electrical power generation station.  I took photos of the trip
and gave them to Bill.  He told me about the big engines and generators
in that building, the pier onto which they parked rail cars, the history
of Southern Maryland's first power grid and distribution system, etc. 
Bill's relatives have always played a big part in SMECO.  He told me the
interesting story of how Charles County first was tasked to determine
electrical loads for their planned distribution of electricity to
residents.  They first determined that a single light bulb will hang over
a common area table within each household.  What they didn't plan on was
the eventual unauthorized extension cords that the Chuck County residents
plugged into that one socket and ran lights throughout the rest of their
house. That extra loading upset the balance quickly. And eventually, the
electrical generation facility was relocated near Pax. Bill had a bunch
of neat stories to tell.  And he loved to tell them.

About a year ago, Bill phoned me and advised that his medical staff
discovered bone cancer. And that his regimen of radiation and
chemotherapy will begin soon.  All the while, Bill and Jeanne had ongoing
plans for renovations to their home in Indian Head.  We continued our
frequent talks, visits and dining out.  Eventually, the work on their
home was completed, and he decided to sell the home and move north with
his daughter and son-in-law in Bowie, MD.  The market was great, and the
Jameson's sold their property very quickly.  And the move up north
happened as planned.  

Since that time, Bill faithfully went for his cancer treatments, lost his
hair (and with his sense of humor, he made the best of that), lost
weight, gained weight, and so on.  He still enjoyed our visits to Rips
Restaurant in Bowie.  Remember I said that Bill and I had a lot in
common?  Years ago I mentioned how much I enjoyed a good old-fashioned
plate of meat loaf topped with ketchup, mashed potatoes and
gravy.....from Rips.  As you can imagine the rest of the story, that has
been Bill's favorite dish for decades.  So we would occasionally meet at
Rips and dine on our favorite meal.  The ladies thought we were crazy to
visit a nice restaurant and eat plain old ketchup-covered meat loaf.  But
Bill truly enjoyed that.

Last week, Bill told me that the cancer has now progressed to the spine,
and that he will no longer take the treatments.  I guess it was obvious
that his mind was made up, and the medical team did not feel that any
quality of life would come of further treatments.  Bill had already felt
the affects with loss of movement in his legs, and general malaise. We
were together last Friday, and he had made his peace.  I had Bill and
Jeanne laughing real good while telling a story about my youngest son
Ben.  That is a whole other story, but what a pleasure it was seeing Bill
laugh so intently.  We also quipped about many stories over the years
with CCARC and our Field Days, Special Event Stations, and those dreaded
meetings where we had to listen about Roberts Rules of Order.  We had
some great laughs.

Earlier in this e-mail, I wrote about Jeanne, his wife, being a ray of
sunshine?  Today, Jeanne phoned to tell me that Bill died today at 1:30pm
in his bed at home, and she was concerned that I do not get one of those
bad migraine headaches.  Can you imagine that?  So typical of the both of
them, for sure. 

Jeanne is unsure of arrangements at this early time, however there will
be no public viewing or funeral.  I expect a memorial mass will be held
at their church in Indian Head.  As details progress, I will advise.
Anyone interested in postal mailing address, it is as follows:

                                                        Mrs. Jeanne
Jameson
                                                        12515 Kilbourne
Lane
                                                        Bowie, MD 20715

Regards and 73,
Lee
N3YWZ