A Mentor is Gone

Uncle Bill was a great man and my mentor. He gave me the love for fishing and the outdoors.

As a young boy, I would fly to Florida to enjoy Florida fishing. I was met at the airport by Uncle Bill. Uncle Bill was a great man and my mentor. He gave me the love for fishing and the outdoors. I can never repay him for that.

He was patient. We would travel for hours to get to his favorite fishing spots. I would be talking. When are we going to get there? How many fish are we going to catch? I would go on and on and he would simply answer my questions and would never raise his voice.

He was a teacher. He taught he how to tie knots, run the boat and enjoy the outdoors. He showed me how to read the water. If the fishing was slow, he would sing song and tell terrific stories.

He had a Wall of Fame with all his big fish pictures. Every fish I caught with him, I would ask can this fish go on the Wall of Fame. He said not yet, the fish needs to be a little bigger. I caught a 30 inch Redfish with him. It was time to pin my picture on the Wall of Fame. This was one of the greatest moments of my life.

As we both grew older, I had a chance to final repay him for all the impressive fishing trips he gave me as a kid. It was my turn to be proud of him catching the big fish. He would still tell the same great stories. It was great remembering all the good times.

Now he is gone. No more chances to fish with him and no more chances to hear the fantastic stories. We will miss you Uncle Bill. Always take a kid fishing. Give them love for fishing and the outdoors like my Uncle Bill did for me.