William W. "Bill" Morton

In a denim vest decked with badges thick as chainmail, William W. (Wild Bill) Morton, 63, of Salem, Va., would ride his Harley "Hog" to biker rallies all over the East Coast. A Life Member of the Harley Owners' Group, sometime Road Captain, and parade organizer, Bill hit some speed bumps. With taste for the best and flashiest, he took bankruptcy like a divot in the road and revved on to become a Vintage VW bus fan. In declining health, standing 5'5" and almost that big around, Bill featured a goatee and was renamed "The Troll." An icon at gatherings of the Full Moon Bus Club, he would work the crowd with a roll of raffle tickets for good causes and terrify his friends by racing golf carts through parks at breakneck speeds paying attention to whatever took his notice on the way. Unless there was child with him: then he was careful. "'Kind-hearted' is the word for Bill," said friend Mark Dearing, who kept both Bill and Bill's 1985 VW van in working order. "And 'Different.' That was Bill, he was just different." Third son of a stock broker and a fashion consultant, graduate of the private Blue Ridge School, a four-year Air Force veteran and, until retired on disability, a N&W Railway dispatcher, William Weaver Morton careered through life making friends. "He was the king of unsolicited advice, and a treasure trove of obscure and needed knowledge on every subject under the sun. Whoever he was talking to was the most important person talking about the most important subject in the world," remembers his Salem friend, Sandra Dearing of the Full Moon Bus Club. "Bill knew the sushi chef at Ukrops, the flower chick at Fresh Market. He knew the Corvette owner at the local car show." And recently as family planned Bill's final journey, the funeral director looked at his ID and said, "Oh, I know him. He used to ride a Harley." The life journey that began in Front Royal in 1945 ended at the Salem VA Medical Center February 14, 2009. Bill left a brother, George (Tim) Morton of Norfolk; two nieces, Anne and Eleanor Morton; a nephew, John Henry Morton; hundreds of friends; several bill collectors; 93 Harley t-shirts; and a huge telescope for studying the night sky. The Full Moon Bus Club is planning a memorial ceremony. Donations in honor of Bill Morton can be made to causes Bill cared for: the Full Moon Bus Club, Ronald McDonald House, Blue Ridge School, or WVTF Public Radio.