Today, for whatever reason, probably due to all the news I have been reading online lately, I picked up the phone and rand an old friend. A woman and asked how I was. I said my name, which if you do not know comes attached with the word “.com” behind it on this site. The woman in a very normal voice, said somennot often normal words, “I have some unfortunate news.”
The man I was calling was a great. A local legend. A city council man. that eventually rose the ranks of Mayor of Yakima. He was Lover, whom you could always enjoy a good laugh with, and his name was Bill. Well, William “Bill” Lover to be exact.
I first met the man many, many, years ago. Stout. Stocky. Quite a figure with a sharp, thick white moustache. At the time I must have been about 13 years old, but I liked the tenor to his scratchy wise-mans old voice, and so as I got to hearing him talk more I got to enjoying it more. We met in a local watering hole in the Palm Spring of Washington attributed to the fact he came to visit a mutual friend of ours. They reminisced on their struggles fighting with the City of Yakima to keep the local irrigation district and improve the infrastructural piping below ground. If you happen to live in original Yakima, and you have access to unlimited irrigation water for a fixed yearly fee of under $200, then you should know you have Bill Lover in part to thank for that. His Civic action along with others stopped your local government from milking you for having to pay for water to water your lawn. He would eventually, tell me about his work with the American Legion, and their summer program, a now defunct, Evergreen Boy’s State.
When I came of age, not military age, but a Sophomore in High School to be able to attend Evergreen Boys State, I did applied and went thanks to Bill Lover. Honestly, I never would have known of it otherwise, and because of him a student of color got to experience something they often do not get an opportunity to see. He even drove me to the week long event at the Central University of Washington campus in Ellensburg, WA. Not asking for a damn thing, and graciously giving up his time and his fathers day weekend to chaperone and fulfill his civic duty served the American Legion.
I myself knew he worked for Boeing prior to his years in office in local politics, but do not recall speaking much of that. I know he was a military man, and damn smart-headed thinking American. A man of morals and good character. He was Republican through and through, how and why I do not recall, but he grew up in the post Eisenhower era of American history so I can understand the sentiment there. Lover, most definitely was a fiscal conservative, and would look for every way to spend your own money, like it was his money, including making sure you should not have to pay more taxes.
William Bill Lover passed away on Aug 20th, 2020 in the sign Leo. He is laid to rest at Terrace Heights Cemetery, next to the grave of his son John whom passed before him, and is survived by his wife and partner Cheryll Lover. Much thanks to her, for she was the composed soul whom inspired this post for you.