September 29, 2018 In Memoriam For Bill Warnock, the original Handsome Billy from Bayonne

September 29, 2018

In Memoriam

For

Bill Warnock, the original Handsome Billy from Bayonne

From Jooche’s to Thermopylae to the Speedway Tavern to the Jewish Y to Kipling to Shiloh to the Sacketts to Churchill to Toole – I never could get him to Joyce -  to Monument Valley to some nasty legal stuff to him telling me a few years ago, while he was working on his tan, “Life is good”, to grandchildren, to weddings, to funerals, Big Red and I had an almost 60-year journey.

About 30 years ago, taking a cue from Trollope, he accurately forecast the results of my upcoming adventures when Loretta, wife and Mom extraordinaire, asked me what I did. I told her I had just begun what was to become a more than 7-year Odyssey in U.S. Tax Court where, even if you win, you lose. “Your life is over”, was his take on my upcoming fortuna, and it proved to be spot on.

“Of course the wheel is crooked but it’s the only game in town.”

PLAY ON!

My father, the legendary Judge Smith, always said, “Anything past 70 is like playing with house money”. Your family was with you, like mine was when Amy died.

[Attention must be paid to the most extraordinary real estate closing ever. It began in his office, the one across the street from Petridis’s, Bayonne’s World Famous Hot Dog Restaurant. It ended in DeAngelis’s tavern, one of Bayonne’s better bistros. After the $13,000 error was squared away, he drove me home. [The seller, Bob Brown, will be dead 20 years next Wednesday.] After taking the longest way possible to get from Bayonne to West Orange, I asked him to come in. “No. Your wife doesn’t want to see you. I know she doesn’t want to see me.” Right again, Red Willie.

No sad songs, Moose.

I’ll raise a glass as I re-tell the story of the afternoon in the saloon in Durango, Colorado.

Sleep well, my friend, and leave the light on.

Kevin Smith

WARRIORBARDIT@BELLSOUTH.NET

 PS – If he ran for Mayor of Bayonne I was going to be his campaign manager. The theme of the campaign was to be “Loot & Pillage”. But that’s a different story, isn’t it?