A Brother's Words About the Loss of His Brother

The following testimony was sent in to Patch by Jim Ware, the brother of William Ware. .  Services will be held at the located at 799 Castro St, Mountain View on Thursday June 28, 2012 at 6 p.m. All are welcomed.

William Anthony Ware
March 13, 1962 – June 21, 2012

Bill, often with his wife Barbara, rode transit. Bill rode transit anywhere and everywhere. He loved it. In the corner of his front room, he had transit schedules for probably every route that VTA runs. He would take a 3-hour bus ride, each way, to save a dollar on a haircut. I would hear from people that I worked with or knew socially in various parts of the region and in different circles and when describing Bill; many would say, “He’s your brother? I know him, and then they would recount a story of some interaction they had had with him. Many of the bus drivers knew him. On more than one occasion, when he was graduating from one of the various programs that he participated in, there would be a bus driver there to celebrate the day with him. If you ride or have ridden public transit with any regularity, you may have met Bill. He didn’t limit himself to just local transit. He would catch a Greyhound to King City or a plane to Portland without hesitation to visit his family.

The Officers knew him because he would talk to them when they had time or he would wave to them when they went by.

Bill could remember numbers, names, and the cars related to people like no one you have ever met. If he knew your birthday, he would call you and wish you a happy birthday, sometimes a month early, but he would call you. He would quiz me about how someone was doing that he had met once 20 or more years earlier. He would ask about the status of my Army buddies that came by our mom’s house in the early ‘80’s. He would pick up oil filters at garage sales for my vehicles because he knew by the number what filter each of my vehicles took from his time at Jiffy Lube. After seeing the movie Rainman, I had the bright idea of trying to teach Bill to play Blackjack so we could go to Reno and break a couple of Casinos. Bill’s numbers ability didn’t quite go into that area so I just ended up playing cards with my brother for several hours. However, later I did buy him a computer with Blackjack on it and showed him how to play in case he ever blossomed out in that area.

One of my coworkers from the City of San Jose lived near where Bill grew up in the east foothills and called him the Mayor of Cragmont Street. He mowed many of the lawns, helped people doing home repairs or gardening; and he carried things for the older residents all along the street.

Bill was a devoted husband. He always considered what his wife Barbara’s wants and needs were and would ask for her advice when needed to make a decision that affected them. HE was a devoted uncle, doting over his various nieces and nephews.

He loved the Dallas Cowboys. His niece Dolores would get weekly calls during the season to discuss the scores and upcoming opponents. He would gloss over any demonstrated shortcomings the team showed the previous week and just look forward to the next game. He would also call other family members to trash talk the Niners or Raiders and explain to us why the Cowboys were better.

He went to work faithfully when he had a job. He would spend hours riding transit or waiting for buses or walking in the heat, cold, rain, or whatever to get to work, on time, everyday. If you ever ate eggs from the Olivera Egg Ranch in the ‘80’s or shopped at Office Depot off Trimble and 101 in the 90’s, Bill was there and contributing to that product being there for you. If you had your oil changed at one of several Jiffy Lube stores along El Camino between Santa Clara and Mountain View up until about 2005, you were likely to have met Bill. Bill was proud of working. He’d wear his Jiffy Lube shirt everywhere or would proudly show you his ID card that he wore on a lanyard from the Salvation Army or Food Bank or from wherever else he was working or volunteering.

Bill volunteered at various programs and events in the community like the Mountain View Art and Wine Festival. Combining his work and volunteering activities on that fateful day, Bill was waiting at the bus stop to go to his job at a local food bank to package up food boxes for those less fortunate than he was.

Bill liked people. He would talk to anyone, at any time, anywhere, about anything.

Bill was a simple man. He didn’t need a lot to make his way in the world. He had challenges his entire life but they didn’t stop him from living his life to the fullest, just the way he wanted to.

Jim and Helen Ware
Placerville, CA

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