
I was so honored and touched when Bill picked me to be his Big Brother in the Pike fraternity at Southwestern.  For some reason he looked up to me but he taught be so much more.  He showed me how to be calm, how to smile really big, how to be a little catty, and be happy with few needs, and to like cars.
I was shocked and deeply saddened to hear of his passing.  I miss him.



9/19/12

Just learned of Bill's passing, in a high school reunion list of deceased classmates.  I refused to believe he was not with us, and did all kinds of online search before believing this old news could really be true.

Interestingly, I compared his newer friends' reflections that I saw scattered online and realized that he stayed true to the same person I knew 50 years ago.  As a child, Bill was never about duration but the quality of each moment.  

I share in the family' and friends' sadness, and wish them all well as they grieve.



Mr. Bill, looking at your picture brings back a swell of memories of our times at SU and most, if not all, involve laughter and smiles.  So many hours we spent talking of our lives and dreams and I always have and always will cherish those times.  You were so tender and kind and honest when listening to my words.  Some of my favorite talks with you were the philosophical ones and each time I'm lucky enough to sit with someone and indulge my philosophical craving, I somehow see your kindhearted eyes looking back.

You have left an impact far beyond your knowledge.  And I suspect that impact affected more people than just me.

When I heard of your passing I realized just how much I'd been missing you all these years.  Thank you for leaving an indelible impression on me.

Rest in peace my dear friend.



My friend Bill and I go all the way back to 1972 when both of us were at Southwestern.  I was privileged to know him, have him as a fraternity brother, but even more importantly, to have stayed connected with him all these years.  He was always a bright spot for me and it is with deep sadness that I now will no longer have the pleasures of lunch with him or a car show or a report back on how his life is going.  Drive that car Bill, as you are as free as ever to enjoy the ride now!



Bill:  It was way too many years since I last saw you.  A friend in Dallas notified me of your passing.  I have read all of the beautiful sentiments people have written about you .... and can't agree more. You brightened everyone's day with your smile and wit. I even saw where someone said you called them "senor".  You called me that, too! Even ALL those years ago. 

I will remember you always from my days at Southwestern University.  Your presence made the experience just that much more special. I was at my 30th Southwestern reunion this year and you were on my mind the whole time.  I didn't know where to contact you, though.  I was hoping the whole time that I might bump into you since that was the only reunion I had been to since leaving Dear Old S.U. 

Rest In Peace, my dear friend.  You brought to this world a lot of light, laughter, and happiness.  You touched many lives, too ...... especially mine. You will be missed by so many .....

Joe Bourne

 



Mr. Bill, I missed you already at work this past week-especially seeing your smile, hearing your laugh and hearing you recite some of the crazy letters from the mail. I respected your dedication to your job, your willingness to help anyone with anything they needed assistance with, your vast knowledge of unclaimed property and your calm presence and patience with upset callers on the phone. I admired your embrace of life, always on the go to a car show or out with friends, or running with friends or to raise funds for a good charitable cause. You were truly one of a kinds and I will miss you dearly. May the angels give you wings and God grant you eternal peace. Love, JG



Oh Mr. Bill,
 
This has been such a hard week without you.  Your daily greeting and helpfulness was so missed.  Who will spoil us now? You will remain in my heart forever.

Ms. Pena/co-worker & friend

Rest in peace my friend -always Rich



I'll always have fond memories of watching the beginnings of Saturday NIght Live with Mr. Bill and other good friends as we were finishing college.  There was no way he could avoid the "Mr. Bill" tag once we saw that skit!  I'll always remember his wonderful smile, kind spirit, and great sense of humor.  My condolences to his family.



bill - you are loved and respected. we will always think and hear your voice/laughter - please look over us - your family and friends are in our prayers and thoughts. 
suzanne 



Bill,
you're kindness and sweet smile will be missed on the floor. There was never anyone more nice to work with than you. God Bless your family during this time. I pray for peace understanding to guide them along the way.

M~



Mr. Bill was a nice, caring, gentle person.  We will miss him and wish him eternal peace.  Bill and Francisco



So sad to lose such a wonderful person.  Bill was the nicest most sincere person we have ever known.  He was always smiling or laughing and we enjoyed the honor of working on Frannie for him.  He always wanted to see the latest Oldsmobile we were driving and we got to see him at many car shows.  I hope the Lord is letting you drive a Buick in heaven.  The world needs more people like Bill.



Bill you will be greatly missed.  R.I.P Mr. Bill 



Mr Bill,

You were the first person I met when I came to Unclaimed Property. You welcomed me aboard and we forged a very good friendship that would last years. Even after I left the Comptrollers office we managed to keep in touch. I will miss your funny email updates and stories of you and frannie :) You were a good friend & I will miss you.

Todd.



Bill, I will miss hearing you call me "seÃ±or" each day in the office.  You made every day better with your unconditional friendliness.  I miss you today and will miss you tomorrow.  May the sorrow your family and close friends are now feeling  soon be replaced by the eternal joy of having known you.  



What great memories of working with him at the Southwestern library, hanging out at the Sub and trips to Cuero. He made every event an adventure and he always made us smile.  He was a true gift to us all.



Mr. Bill- We had so much fun working together!  Teasing you about eating 
 styrofoam cakes and making fun of you being an "Apil Fool" were only a few of the things that brought laughter to our cubicle. I will miss your cheerful "Good Morning Ms.Krueger"  and how much you loved the chocolate wine cake!  May God hold you close and rest in glorious peace.  I will always remember my friend Mr. Bill.  My sympathy to the family - I'm privileged to have known him .



I only knew Bill a short time through the Classic Chassis Car Club, but from the moment you met him, you knew he was a genuinely good person. I always looked forward to seeing him at our Car Club events, and chatting with him. I remember the last time I talked to Bill, he told me he had seen me driving over the Congress Avenue  Bridge (he was with his running group), and he was jumping up and down, and yelling to get my attention. I told him I was too focused on the traffic ahead of me to see him, but if I HAD, I would have wondered what the heck was going on with that guy!! And then he laughed that wonderful laugh of his...

He left a wonderful impression on me, and I will honestly miss him. My sincerest condolences to all his family and friends. We were all so lucky to have known him as a friend, cousin, uncle, brother, or son. The lives you touched through your gentle soul will be forever grateful. Thank you Bill.



I am so sorry to hear about Bill.  It was only a couple of weeks ago that we met him at the Italian restaurant.  Our hearts go out to you!  



While I am saddened at the passing of Mr. Bill, I smile that he existed and that I had the opportunity to know him.

Just look at all the wonderful remarks that have been left on these pages.  It shows how one person has touched so many people.  And from such diverse areas.

As odd as it may sound, my heart goes out to Frannie.  I know Frannie is a car, but I hope she finds as wonderful a forever home as she had with Mr. Bill.  

Peace be with you dear friend.  



Dear Sheldon Family, it has been many years since I have seen you all, but I wanted to say how sorry I was to hear about Bill's passing.  He was a great friend at AHHS and he will be missed. God bless you all.  



Dear, dear Bill, you were such a special friend so long ago.  Your kind heart and ever present smile.   You touched so many people with your loving spirit.  You will be missed and remembered fondly.  





One of the nicest guys on this planet.  Always pleasant, upbeat and a great smile!  My deepest sympathy to his love ones.  



I didn't know Bill very well, but I did see him virtually every weekend at the Gregory Gym on the UT Campus.  He had such a kind and gentle manner.  He always exchanged a warm greeting with me.  It was always nice to see him.  He was a gentleman, and I am saddened to learn of his passing.



So very sad to just learn of Billy's passing.  We had such fun together in high school - he was an ardent friend.  He will be greatly missed by friends past and present.  Much love to his family.

Rita



Susan,
Please know that all of us here at the Intermidate and Middle schools are thinking of you during this difficult time.  We have made a donation in memory of Bill to the AIDS Services of Austin.  Our wish for you is that you will find some peace knowing you have many friends in Iowa, waiting with open arms and hearts to offer up comforting words of encouragement.

From all your Friends at Center Point/Urbana School



Just last week I was searching for Bill.  Now I know why he was one my mind.  He was a wonderful and steady friend to all.  He was my date to a 'suppressed desires' party at SU...many years ago.  He went as a professional tennis player & showed those great legs!  I remember his droll and amusing tales of his time at the library.

His time was too short.  He will be missed by all who knew & loved him.  I'm glad he was my friend.

Thanks for this wonderful picture of Bill!

Gretchen



Bill's smile was always noted at club events.  I helped Bill a few years ago when his '62 Buick became disabled on the way to a Fredericksburg meet.  Bill thanked me over and over again for the very small favor I provided.  



Bill was a such a wonderful person at Southwestern.  From the accolades offered of his friends he gained over the years, it seems they also see what we saw in Bill at an earlier age.

Once in a while I would see Bill running at Town Lake, or somewhere around town.  Steady, loyal, joyful.  This is much too soon.  A really good friend is now lost.

I can only hope that his family can see what a wonderful person Bill was, and that they can take some joy in knowing he made those around him better.

Rest in peace good man, and may the Good Lord be with you and your family always.  

Carleton





I have known few as kind as Bill, my best memories of him are with a bucket and sponge...he made washing a car fun and interesting.  Ma God hold you Mr Bill and give you His peace.  



I am so saddened to hear about Bill. He was one of my favorite people at Southwestern. He was always sweet to me, and is a person that I think of fondly when I remember my Sourhwestern days. I'll keep your family in my prayers.



May your memories help sustain your family at this challenging time. We are sorry for your brother's premature passing. Please know that you have our complete support and will help with anything needed. Love, Cheryl



Susan and family, we were so sorry to hear about Bill's passing!  Hope you are able to hold your memories close at this difficult time.  I'll have something for you, Susan, when you get back to Iowa.  Love and hugs, Annette




My God Bless all who grieve over this terrible loss! Mr. Bill will be MISSED! He's with his angels, and smiling big and bright! 



Grace. 

You're a truly classy guy, Bill. You'll be missed.



Mr. Bill had a kind and gentle heart.  I got to know him when when he came over to speak to my cubile mate.  He always greated me with a cheery good morning, and if I was picking up output he would offer to help so I didn't have to lift those big heavy piles of unclaimed property ouput.  And, if that onrey xerox machine was giving me problems he would come over and help me fix it. We will all miss him and his sweet smile. 



Mr. Sheldon was the first friend I met when I moved to Austin from NYC twenty years ago.  At that time, he worked at Continental Cars where I brought my car for service.  What better welcome could one ask for?!  I admired his sweetness and good nature and that he was so stable, yet subtly quirky.  His generally quiet demeanor was broken only by his bellowing laugh.  Although we had less contact in recent years, I still considered him a dear and beloved friend.  Beyond the shock, confusion and loss, I will miss him and hold fast the many memories of him and be grateful for the good times we shared.



I've been working at the Comptroller's office for 6 years and delivering unclaimed property mail and output to Bill every morning. He always was pleasant and welcomed me a smile every day. Bill you are missed and always will be remembered by those who have had the pleasure of working with you. God bless you and your family. Rest in peace my friend.



I worked at the Comptroller's Office in Unclaimed Property will Bill for about 15 years.  He and I shared a love for chocolate and he always shared his stash with me.  I always admired Bill for his many interests, lots of friends and for living such a healthy lifestyle.  He was one of the most disciplined people I've known.  I will miss him as will so many of his co-workers.  



Bill - You were such a kind and friendly man.  You were always there every day with a "good morning" to start the work day.  I will miss you.  My thoughts and prayers are with your family.  You were special.



Mr. Bill was my tennis playing friend and SU friend for many years. He was always so kind and wonderful to me.  I will miss his gracious spirit.  May the strength be with his many friends.    Jeanne Clifford Weiss



I met Bill a couple decades ago at a Classic Chassis event.   I was most impressed by his broad automotive knowledge and enthusiasm at numerous events .  As others have said, Bill truly was a sweet guy who never uttered a harsh word and always seemed to be in an upbeat, if reserved mood.  I always admired his appreciation for some of the unique, if not hugely collectible vehicles that were produced over the years. 
Losing someone is always hard.  Losing someone about whom you can think of only good things to say is even more difficult.  My sympathy to his family and his many, many friends and admirers in Austin.   



What a shock to hear about Bill. He was a very kind and gentle person and always took such pleasure in "Frannie", his wonderful '62 Special. When I had a '61 Special, we compared notes and each took a turn at driving the other's car, just to experience the differences. When I bought a '62 Buick, he was quick to note that both his car and my car were from the same dealership, so he quickly found out when each was sold and whether they had "seen" each other at Scoggin-Dickey Buick in Lubbock in 1962. I think he owned every possible piece of literature one could collect on a 1962 Buick Special. When "Collectible Automobile" magazine wanted to do an article on the Buick Specials and Skylarks of 1961-63, I encouraged him to submit some photos of his car to them. He was so thrilled when they published one of the photos of his beloved "Frannie" in their national magazine. I will miss him at our Buick Club shows & events.



Bill was one of the nicest people to ever walk the planet! He always had a smile on his face and made you feel like you were the most important person in the world when he talked to you...Bill you will be greatly missed by many, rest in peace my friend!





I only knew Bill for a short time, but I will cherish, forever, the time I was blessed to be around him.  He was always more than willing to assist anyone in any capacity necessary.  He was a true friend to all who knew him, and the void left in this world by his untimely departure can never be filled.  Bill, you were an awesome guy!  To Bill's family and friends, my deepest sympathies and condolences during this difficult time.



My deepest condolences to his family.  Mr. Bill will be greatly missed.



Mr. John and Mrs. Agga My deepest condolences go out to you.



Bill was quite knowledgable in many fine details of car manufacturing and was so excited to discuss facts and specifiations to educate many of the more casual car club enthusists.  He also was a great performer and singer in the Capital City Men's Chorus when we joined that group in the early 90's. 
His kind spirit will be greatly missed as he never had a discouraging word for anyone.  His passing will effect many for times to come and I hope we can honor his memory by being supportive of the causes he so humbly worked with.  



On behalf of the North Texas Chapter, Buick Club of America, I extend our deepest condolences to Bill's family and extended family of friends and associates.  When I'd see Bill at the various Buick Club events, he always had a "having fun" sense about him . . . an excitement for the event and the cars which were on display.  It was always a treat to see him at these events.

Rest in Peace, Our Friend!

Willis Bell
Chapter Director, North Texas Chapter, BCA



What I remember most about Bill, was the total surprise of his sharp wit and fun sense of humor.  He presented a first impression much like his '62 Buick, Frannie.  Understated, conservative, gentle.  He was a lot of fun to talk with and was a genuinely nice guy.  Classic Chassis Car Club Austin misses you already, Bill!



On behalf of the Buick Club of America, I would like to send my condolences to Bill's family.
On behalf of my family, we will miss Bill bringing us his old Vanity Fair and car magazines. 
From me, I love you Mr. Bill. I will truly miss my friend. 

"May the sun always be on the passenger side and the wind at your back"




He was such a caring soul and his presence made you smile. While I only knew him for a few years, I immediately felt his genuine warmth and his kindness towards everyone. We should all strive to have his inner kindness to everything God has created. 

My sincere condolences to his family. Sincerely, Carol Ann Jones


OBITUARY

Bill Sheldon

April 1, 1954 – March 24, 2012

Weed Corley Fish Funeral Homes and Cremation Services

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