Thursday, December 9, 2010

VIXERAT for Bill Zechel

Bill Zechel a portrait on paper by Bill Osmundsen

I have been visiting in New Hampshire for a good part of this year and after returning only once in 6 years I found a great and dear friend slowly and with some pain dieing. His death occurred in August. I visited Bill in the Hospital and Nursing Home and not reading a regular paper I missed his funeral. Two years before when I presented Bill with the portrait above he told me I've got my funeral music all planned out. Bill loved music and as we sat in Saunders at Rye Harbor, in Rye NH; in the restaurant that he built, he explained each selection of music and what it meant to him. Kind of a crazy evening to spend listening to your friends funeral music selection. Rest assured the music wasn't real sad or pompous. Bill loved life so much that he was even enthusiastic about his own funeral and that is where the Latin word Vixerat comes into play. When a Roman would die they wouldn't say he died;- they would say he lived:- Vixerat.

Bill Osmundsen