William Fairbanks Meeker

Eulogy for William

At this moment, our William is up there-swapping sea stories with another high-sky legend, Amelia Earhart herself. They share that same rare mix of class, courage, and quiet strength.

William is surely telling his new celestial friends about the unstoppable energy and deep love of his family. About Bill, and this two Marguerites-his mom and his fiancée-who kept him well, happy, and surrounded by joy for so many meaningful years.

We had the privilege of being a dedicated fan of William. I stood post from his ealy years... in Paris where he could speak french and spanish kindsmOk.

William may not have been a movie star-but all of us loved him like one.

Even up to the moment he checked out, William remained a mentor to many of us lucky enough to know him. He shared his pony "Blackie" with Laura Brent, and she returned the favor by taking him to the Marine Commandant´s private dining room at the Pentagon. Marine Colonel ... then a Captain Tom Prentice made sure William thrived during Devil Pup Training at Camp Pendleton-and later, during a week at the Naval Academy.

He would´ve made a hell of a Leatherneck.

Why? Because Skydiver William Meeker had something special-something undefinable. The French call it je ne sais quoi. I call it good, clean, and strong. A spirit that stood for all that´s right about America-and especially about family.

After William passed, my mind kept circling back to a memory from long ago.

I was ten years old when I experienced the first death in my family. My grandfather died. We were close. It hit hard. I remember the funeral parlor... the chill of my grandfather´s hands.

That night, after the burial, my grandmother brought me to a window in her small Chicago apartment. She said:

"Paddy, look up at the stars.
Those stars are holes in the sky,
Where the people we´ve lost look out for us-
And watch over us."

She pointed to one star in particular and said,

"That one is your grandfather. He´s watching over you and me.
Never forget that.
And never disappoint him."

Mom / Dad -ND `64-William s now one of those stars.
Up in the Carpinteria sky, he´s the brightest one.

This handsome lad is still watching over you.
And all of us.

So please-let´s never let him down.

Fair winds, William.
K Y E O T B,,
Uncle Patrick

HIS,PONY RIDES