My Father and I have known William for many years. Between the two of us we have gathered quite a collection of Bilz artwork from over the years. Some being fish we found for him and many others he already had. Visiting William was always at least a couple of hours long if not more. It was always an adventure going to visit his shop, not only to see what new fish he had been working with but to see all the cool nik nacks he had acquired over the years. One visit I will never forget was from when I was much younger. William rolled out this bicycle he insisted I try riding. It was the most bizarre bicycle I have ever sat on. Not only could one turn the handlebars like on a typical bicycle but you would also pivot your hips to turn the rear wheel also! Luckily William always let me free roam around his shop and I would usually find some masterpiece he had tucked away and forgotten about. He was a joy to converse with and catch each other up on the knows and unknowns of fish related talk. I will cherish the memory of my last visit with William. It was always so nice to see his face light up when bringing him a new fish to work with. Glad I got the opportunity to see that big smile one last time before he left us. It was beautiful to see children (I believe grandkids visiting that day?) So intrigued by some different and unseen fishes. The children were just as excited as Bill was to see the new specimens. Forever miss you William. I will make sure to always have some of your work around!
