Ladies and gentlemen,
Today we come together to celebrate a man, a father, whose life was not always easy to comprehend, but whose essence, at its core, was deeply human and fundamentally shaped by love. Today, we remember William “Bill” McCarter, a man of many facets, a man whose life was a testament to resilience, to growth, and to the transformative power of love.
Bill was born into a world that was harsh and unforgiving. His upbringing was marked by hardship and struggle, shaping him into a man who knew the world to be a battleground. His worldview was, for a long time, tinted with the shades of survival and competitiveness. He believed in hard work, in earning one’s keep, and in standing one’s ground.
He was a giant in his own right – a self-made man who fought his way to the top with grit and determination. Bill worked tirelessly, carving out a future for himself from the unyielding granite of life’s challenges. He was a successful businessman, a respected figure in his community, a man who commanded respect and embodied strength.
As a father, Bill was a formidable figure. He was strict, often severe, and unyielding in his expectations. He believed in discipline, in strength, and in the importance of standing on one’s own two feet. He pushed his children hard, often too hard, demanding from them the resilience and tenacity he himself had been forced to learn at a young age.
Yet beneath this tough exterior, beneath the armor of sternness and discipline, was a man who loved deeply. A man who, in his own unique way, wanted the best for his children. His methods were not always gentle, his words not always kind, but his intentions were rooted in a place of profound love.
Bill’s love was a silent force, a tidal undercurrent that often went unnoticed but was always present. He loved through actions, not words – through the roof he provided over our heads, the food on our table, the education he insisted we pursue. His love was a call to resilience, to strength, to independence.
Despite his hardened exterior, there were moments when Bill’s softer side would shine through. Moments when his laughter would fill the room, when his eyes would sparkle with unspoken affection, when his gruff demeanor would give way to genuine warmth. These were the moments when we got a glimpse of the man behind the mask, the man who loved us deeply and unconditionally.
Over the years, we saw a change in Bill. The birth of his grandchildren seemed to soften him, to chip away at the walls he’d built around himself. We saw glimpses of a gentler, kinder Bill. A man who was capable of tenderness, of compassion, of unconditional love.
His final years were a testament to his capacity for change, for growth, for reconciliation. He became more open, more vulnerable, more emotionally present. His love, once a silent undercurrent, became a roaring tide, washing over us all with its warmth and depth.
Bill’s journey was not an easy one. His life was not without its challenges, its hardships, its regrets. But it was a life lived with passion, with resilience, and with an undercurrent of love that was as powerful as it was silent.
Today, as we remember Bill, let us not focus on the hardness of his exterior, but on the depth of his love. Let us remember him not for his severity, but for his strength, his resilience, his capacity for change.
We are all products of our upbringing, of our circumstances, of the lessons life teaches us. Bill was no different. He was shaped by a world that was harsh and unforgiving, but he was also shaped by love – a love that was silent but unwavering, a love that was stern but deeply felt.
As we bid him farewell, let us remember him for the man he was – a man of strength, of resilience, of profound love. Let us remember him for his journey, for his growth, for his capacity for change.
Bill, you were not a perfect man, but you were a man who loved deeply, who fought bravely, who lived passionately. You were a man who taught us the value of resilience, of strength, of independence. You were a man who, in your own unique way, showed us the depth of your love.
As we say goodbye, we do so with gratitude, with respect, and with love. We thank you for the lessons you’ve taught us, for the strength you’ve instilled in us, for the love you’ve shown us. We will carry these lessons with us, we will honor your memory, we will cherish the love you’ve left behind.
Farewell, Bill. You may be gone, but your spirit lives on in us, in the resilience we embody, in the strength we exhibit, in the love we share. Thank you for being our father, our mentor, our guide. You will be missed, but never forgotten.
