Bill Wright (1 Viewer)

[lt1fire]

Its with sadness I report the passing of Bill Wright. Most of us know Bill as he has been a fixture of our club and UC for a long time. He was a very unique individual with a great out look on life and a lot of memorable life experiences. I'm sure most of us have great memories of conversations with him around the fire ring at the barn. I am blessed to have known him and am very happy that I got to see him at the barn last September.

RIP Bill

 

[elkaholic]

Damn. Didn’t know him well but sure enjoyed conversations at the barn ...

 

[GLTHFJ60]

s***. 2021 sucks.

RIP Bill.

 

[erymer]

Thanks for passing it on Al. I’ll never forget seeing Bill send that FJC through the trails and pounding it with paper tags from the minute he got it. Some very fond memories camping included him.

 

[jamesurq]

That sucks. I’m glad I got to spend some time at the barn with him one last time.

One of a kind....

RIP Bill.

 

[greenseaman]

What a shame! So sorry to hear this! He will be missed!

 

[Roxx]

Sad, good conversation we had. The guy traveled all over. Rip

 

[roadstr6]

Southern gentleman. Smart dude. Great conversationalist. Seen everything but the wind. Been everywhere but the electric chair. Mr. Bill, you will be missed. RIP.

 

[fourtrax]

always enjoyed conversations with Bill. Rip my friend.

on a side note 2021 is sucking right out of the gate.

 

[little_joe]

Wow, terribly sad news - I remember Bill from way back in the day. He lived quite a life, something we all should aspire to...

 

[Fort Knox]

As others have said, I really enjoyed the conversations I had with Bill. Great stories. He will be missed!

 

[lumbee1]

Sad to hear. I had many campfire conversations with Bill at the barn and loved hearing his stories.

 

[Green Hell Mustang]

Man, that sucks. I loved chatting with him when I had the chance. He always had great stories and was such a fixture of almost every meet & greet I went to. God speed Bill.

 

[dbenke]

Sad to hear this.
I met "Wild Bill" at my first Cullowhee trip with UC in 2008. He will be missed.

 

[mtweller]

I only learned Bill was ill when we saw him in Sept. and I was heartbroken. I want to say I first met him in '05, but who can remember. He gave me my first ride in an FJC on a 'Wee trip. He schooled me in some winching techniques. He told me many stories around campfires which had me hanging on his very next word. He was a kind and gentle soul with a grumpy side that could make you chuckle. I always felt like when he asked me a question, he genuinely wanted to know about me and was listening to the answer and not just waiting for me to stop talking so he could tell me something about himself - a rare quality that always endears me. I hadn't seen Bill much in recent years, since we haven't been all that involved in the club recently and that's regretful. Wild Bill, you will be missed my friend. May you rest in peace.... but far more likely you are on some celestial adventure ratharing than resting anywhere. Godspeed.

 

[NCFJ]

RIP Bill. Bill was a guy that really "lived". Never wheeled with him but had the pleasure of his company around the camp fire at the barn on several occasions, quite the story teller.

 

[alk747triodad]

“My heart is broken and my face is soaken”!

That was the quote Bill used 10 years ago when Logan died. He even traveled from Greenville to Albemarle for Logan’s funeral; that’s how much he thought of Logan. Such a great friend!

Logan loved Bill Wright and I loved Bill Wright! Thank you for coming into our lives. We will never forget you Wild Bill!

 

[cruiser4life]

RIP Bill. I regret that I hadn't had a chance to catch up with Bill recently since I haven't been active in club activities in a long while but I have so many great memories including:

He and Jeri visiting and crashing with us in CLT to go to a RatDog show in '07 I think, he was a fun concert companion.

Out of the blue he visiting and bringing flowers to my brother who he only met once at that point and was in very bad shape in the hospital ICU in GVL.

The Lurping Founder and CEO, so many great Whee adventures.

Him crashing with us in Hatteras for a few days one January when we were planning our wedding out there - this was a classic Wild Bill story, I extended the invite because he had mentioned being in the area and we had room but I had heard nothing at all as the trip arrived. I was up @ 4am one morning, packing the truck in the dark with gear to ride over to a creek on the sound to meet some friends to duck hunt. The wind was blowing 30+ and as I exited the house for the final time and started to climb in the Cruiser I saw someone milling around in the side yard and nonchalantly Bill walks over and says hi and what's going on and I was crazy AF to go out in this wind - at 4:30am in the pitch black dark...like here I am...haha...classic Bill.

But the most iconic Bill story in my mind is the one erymer mentions above, an early days group ride @ Uwharrie and Bill showed up in his brand new FJC, like 500 miles on it and 30 day tags and proceeded to beat it like a rented mule, at one point was getting air @ Kodak Rock, jumping it, ramming it into rocks and trees, bottoming out everywhere, etc. That was when folks would set up chairs with coolers of beer at the very top of the climb @ Kodak and watch and cheer as people came through. When it was Bill's turn it was an even mix of eyes wide open and jaws on the ground and people laughing so hard they were crying.

Fair Winds and Following Seas friend...

 

[angerhater]

Rest well dear friend, we will miss you

 

[Mtbcoach]

I've been desperately searching for my pictures of the infamous day that I met Bill. My dear friend (who passed of non-hodgkins lymphoma 3 yrs ago) I drug along with me, had him promise me that no matter how much I let my ego and peer-pressure influence me, we would NOT go up Daniel. Then, there is Bill, in his fresh, paper-plated FJC, dead-stock with OEM running boards and the manual. I at least had OME kit and 255/85's and sliders, I couldn't take that shame so away I want, following Bill as he introduced us all to "Wild Bill".

This is why I became dedicated to this club, the Rymers were generous in their support of these "red headed, step-children" of the Land Cruiser lineage, spotting every one of us thru, getting Bill up that trail, tearing the crap out of it the whole way up. But, up he did make it.

I'll keep digging, I know I have them for I sent him a couple in recent years, with my recent move, they are buried somewhere.

RIP good friend