Bill Weis

[klsm54]

If you never knew Bill Weis...well.....I feel sorry for you. Bill was a fixture in our town for many years. He sure logged a lot of miles on his wagon, gathering pop bottles, picking blackberries, or dragging something around town.

He could be seen every day journeying around town, to the pool hall & Gunsmoke to do his cleaning chores, or making a social call at any of the towns businesses. He loved the Polka Party on WCED and could usually be found at Willar's, sometime Sunday morning, pestering Stephanie to turn up the radio.... ;D

He knew just about everybody, and always had a kind word. For us guys he always asked if we had a girlfriend, and for the girls, he always had a compliment, usually that their looked pretty today. And he was always genuinely sad when he learned that someone was sick, or had passed away.

After his parents passed away, Bill spent his last years at a home in Punxsy. But the girls from the home would bring him to Falls Creek for the carnival and he was the same old Bill, laughing and smiling and saying hello to all his old friends.

Everybody should have a Bill Weis in their lives. He had a way of putting things in perspective that seems to escape far too many of us in today's world. I miss Bill.




Sadly Bill passed away last August. Here is his obituary from the Courier.

William E. Weis
08/01/2008

William E. Weis, 69, McHugh Ave., Punxsutawney, died Thursday at DuBois Regional Medical Center.
Born Aug. 19, 1938, in Ridgway, he was a son of the late Raymond R. and Katherine E. Connor Weis.
He enjoyed gardening, music and drawing.
He is survived by four brothers: Richard R. Weis and Thomas E. Weis, both of DuBois and James A. Weis and Jerry L. Weis, both of Falls Creek; and one sister, Cathy Snyder of Reynoldsville.

www.zwire.com/site/index.cfm?newsid=19882823&BRD=2758&PAG=461&dept_id=572984&rfi=8

[brucie2000]

I concur, we need more Billy Wises in the world today. Always had a smile. Nothing was ever wrong in his world.........Got any pop bottles? Nice tribute Mr Administrator...........

[shadylady]

This picture brought back many fond memories. What a sweetheart Bill was! Excellent addition to this web site and my favorite picture so far.

[pensrock]

Great pic of Bill, its just as I remember him.

[grady]

You brought a tear to the eye with that tribute and picture of Billy. I agree he will be missed. I watched him one day walk out onto main street at the intersection of first, put his hand up to stop the cars, walk back to the sidewalk to get his wagon and pulled it across the street. Then wave the cars on. The people in the cars just waved back at Billy and drove on just like it was nothing unusual. Another good story was the time he was cleaning the sink out in the restroom in the back of the poolhall.The sink was full of some pretty nasty stuff and Billy was'nt very happy.He was grumbling somthing I think had to do with brucie !!!!!!!! If you have any funny or neat stories about Billy please pass them on

[klsm54]

Okay, I've got a "Bill" story to tell.

Back in the 70's, I used to work for the borough. You know, plowing snow, pumping water and such. In the winter months, when we spent a lot of time in a plow truck, we would see Bill several times, just about every day.

Now if you knew Bill, you know he loved music. Music always brought a smile to his face. So it got to be a habit that, whenever we would see Bill, we would roll down the window and turn up the music. Bill would laugh, and do a little dance, usually the one with his hands on his knees, his kness swinging in and out. You know the dance, Jimmy Stewart in "It's a Wonderful Life"... ;D

So one day my old buddy Kuppy and I were coming up First Street, stopped at the stop sign at Main Street. Bill was crossing Main Street, from the Post Office side, coming toward us. So down went the window and up went the radio, and Bill started dancing. I guess we should have waited another 15 seconds, because Bill started dancing right in the middle of Main Street.

Now Bill was really careful about looking for traffic, so it really shouldn't have been a problem, and it wouldn't have been if Bill's knee didn't give out, right there in the middle of Main Street. And wouldn't you know, up over the hill comes a Preston truck. So as Bill would typically do, he just held up his hand to stop the truck....Oh my! After a briefly horrifying moment, I'm sure we were more concerned about that truck than Bill was, he made it to the sidewalk. We made sure he was okay.....but then....we got hell, like you've never seen.

Bill told us in no uncertain terms that there would be no more dancing in the street. And he reinforced that fact every time he saw us for a couple months after that. I felt bad that Bill was mad at me, but he soon got over it. I think I even turned up the radio for Bill a few times after that, just not when he was near the street.

[brucie2000]

I just read that one to my wife who is recuperating from surgery and she about busted open a staple from laughing. She said her and Tish Knouse were working at Willer's, and one day Billy was coming across main street and they could see him through the main street window. Billy waved to them and Robin started dancing and Billy started dancing back right in the middle of main street, and Tish yelled at her because because she thought Billy would get hit by a car. So there my dear friend was the beginning of the American Idol show........Who said Falls Creek isn't famous. The dude loved to dance for sure.

[weisl1962]

I just wanted to thank everyone that was so kind to Billy.... He was my uncle, and sitting here and reading some of these stories... I was sitting here, laughing and crying at the same time. He did do the funniest things, and he always made you smile. I do miss him. But I never felt sorry for him, to me he had it made in a way. He was a child his whole life, up until the day he died... He still believed in all the little things that little kids do. From the Easter Bunny to Santa Claus. He had no responsibilities, and who wouldn't want that your whole life.
God Bless you Billy, we miss you......
Keep the stories coming if anyone has them.

[dmc]

Awwww, my mom took that pic. Mom was always good about giving him cookies, even though sometimes Katie would get mad at him. He spent a lot of time with Dad on our porch. I can still hear her calling him to come home. When I think of Bill I think of collecting pop bottles, blackberries, and his old reel mower he used to cut the grass.

[weisl1962]

I thought that was who took that picture, because of where it was taken. I have seen pictures of him when he was really young, and recent pictures of him. But this is the only one that I have even seen, that showed the TRUE Billy.... This picture fits him to a T.. He was a worker wasn't he? And I think he kept a garden, better than I ever have. LOL

[grady]

One time Billy was at the bar doing his chores for dad. He had gone into use the men's room . Later that day aunt Katie called dad and went up one side and down the other on him about Billy.Here there was going to be a birthday party later for someone , and Billy had gone home with a bunch of condoms he had got out of the men's room and layed them on the dinner table. He thought they were party baloons . Aunt Katie was none to happy !!!

[bossladyjr]

and don't forget, dmc, he'd always ask for the football contest out of our paper for ray! he was a regular character in our growing up years! he also loved his records and going to ridgway to ride the octopus at the carnival!

[klsm54]

Apr 20, 2009 17:00:32 GMT -4 dmc said:

Awwww, my mom took that pic. Mom was always good about giving him cookies, even though sometimes Katie would get mad at him. He spent a lot of time with Dad on our porch. I can still hear her calling him to come home. When I think of Bill I think of collecting pop bottles, blackberries, and his old reel mower he used to cut the grass.

Not your mom dmc, your uncle Ross took that picture. He was proud of that one too, he thought it captured the real "Bill". It's just too bad that he didn't have a better camera... ;D

[bozmom2003]

another good story about Bill, he stopped at my house one day , looking for bottles, of course.
Knocked on the door peeked thru the glass, i came to the door , he said any bottles?
I said sorry Bill not today, he said well maybe i'll come back after your party...hmmm I thought.
He saw a few coats on the back of dining room chairs, thinking i had company.
I have hung up every coat in the house since!!!!!!in a closet. There was never anything wrong with Bill, he knew right from wrong!!! I wish more people had his heart I miss him too

[peanut]

thanks for the pic! bill used to help himself to the bottles in our basement great guy will always remember bill