"
At the age of 87, I?ve already learned that my memories play tricks on me. I can?t recall when I first met this lovely Lady, although her husband, Ron Brock, my first cousin, whose acquaintance with me goes back to Los Alamos, NM, in the mid-1940s in terms of our relationship with one another. Ron?s father, Eugene ?Gene? Brock had worked in the Los Alamos Laboratory in that era when my Dad was the Athletic Director at Los Alamos High School, NM, where he doubled up as head football, basketball, and track coach. Further, Ron tells me Carolyn and I first met at our family?s ?Big River Guest Ranch?, in the Southwestern San Luis Valley, of Colorado, which was about 30 miles up the Rio Grande River from Del Norte, CO, where I graduated in May 1950 following my last year in high school. Twelve miles further up the Rio Grande River was the old, 1890?s silver mining town of Creede, CO.
What I could remember clearly was my home of record when I entered the United States Military Academy, at West Point, on July 3, 1951. Wagon Wheel Gap, CO, home of record that in the military always drew laughs. And laughs are what I remember best about the beautiful Lady, Carolyn Brock. Ron and Carolyn came from Scottsdale, AZ, to Las Vegas, NV, to participate in my late first wife?s Celebration of Life and the funeral of Veronica Eileen the first week in January 2016. We had been married 60 years when I lost ?Ronnie? to Alzheimer?s on November 1, 2015, while she was undergoing in-home care. Light-hearted and vibrant Carolyn, who was also married to Ron for 60 years loved to make people laugh. She had a wonderful sense of humor and could then laugh with them. On June 11, 2016, I met online the lady who I would eventually become engaged to, Anna Marie Bates, the widow of Quent Bates, a West Point classmate.
On the July 4th weekend of 2016, I flew to Phoenix, AZ, to do some filming with an Irish Production Company on the subject of Pearl Harbor, for the History Channel, in which I would have a minor role in narrating the story. While there, I remained with Ron and Carolyn for the rest of the weekend. And what did Carolyn do to cheer me up? She made me laugh about my fouled-up, silly life being tangled up with more than one woman at once. Then came October 15, 2016, when Ron and Carolyn came again to Las Vegas, and the home Ronnie and I had bought in August 1995, and as part of a company of 31 guests, witnessed my second wedding to Anna Marie Bates.
Beauty comes in many forms, but the Laughing form is always the best. Beautiful Carolyn Brock is another wonderful lady who will always make my heart sing, and I am certain beyond all doubt we shall all meet again in God?s heaven. HE made the earth. HE made Carolyn Brock and joined her to Ron Brock. Can there be any doubt HE will have us all together once more and forever?
Bill and Anna McWilliams
Orem, UT 84097-3432"