My Brother Bill
Veronica Hernandez
My brother attended West Catholic High School in Philadelphia, which was run by the Christian Brothers, but I was terrified by the brothers who had a fierce loyalty from their students and demanded respect. I was thrilled when a new high school opened in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania. The community life and caring for each other that I observed in the forty some Augustinian Friars, convinced me that this is how I wanted to spend my life.
On October 28, 1958, I entered the Order as a candidate for the brotherhood, the same day that Pope John XXIII was elected. I had no idea at the time how this day would affect my life, or the life of the Church! I was received as a novice on Staten Island on March 6, 1962 in the midst of a terrible storm that devastated the East Coast, taking the Augustinian summer house in Sea Isle, New Jersey, out to sea. I professed my vows as a friar on March 7, 1963 at New Hamburg, New York.
After pursuing some courses in restaurant management at Drexel University in Philadelphia, I worked with the Holy Redeemer Sisters, and later with the Augustinian Sisters in buying the food, making the menus and supervising the kitchen at Villanova. On October 26, 1965, I was transferred to St. Rita Parish in Philadelphia. I loved the community of seven friars there, three of whom were over 80. After I made profession of solemn vows in 1976, I was transferred to St. Thomas of Villanova Parish in Rosemont, Pa., where I served as business manager and had the task of overseeing weddings at the campus church.
In 1982, I moved to St. Denis Parish in Havertown, Pa., where I was business manager and served also as moderator of the senior citizen club, assisted at funerals, promoted our liturgy and conducted burial services. During this time, I also served as a member of the Provincial Council. In 1994, I attended the Washington Theological Union in Washington, DC, for two years, after which, in 1996, I was ordained deacon by Bishop Leonard Olivier, SVD in the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.
I served for two years as one of three deacons at Our Mother of Consolation Parish in Chestnut Hill, Pa., and in 1998, when our Province assumed responsibility for two parishes and a retreat center in Maggie Valley, North Carolina, I served as assistant director, and later director, of Living Waters Catholic Reflection Center for thirteen years, and was pastoral associate of St. Margaret of Scotland Parish. Though the area was only 3% Catholic, the community was very welcoming. Meeting people of all faiths, and no faith, from around the world, was a fantastic experience.
Augustine was a thoughtful, empathetic, and loving servant of God. He valued community, welcomed others, and treated them the way they deserved to be treated. Augustine also laid the foundation for the Order of St. Augustine. The Order continues to explore ways to care for those in great need both in our Province work throughout Massachusetts, New Jersey, and surrounding states and in our greater missions throughout the world.
William Eugene Pavone was born 10-23-1947 in Munich Germany while his family was stationed there after the war. His Father was Leo Frederick-Joseph Pavone and Mother was Eleanor Ruth LaTourette. Bill was one of seven brothers and one sister.... View Obituary & Service Information
Brother Bill (aka B.J.) was born in 1947 to the late John and Margaret (McGregor) Johnson in Littlefork, Minnesota. After his primary and secondary education in International Falls, MN, he joined the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, pronouncing his first religious vows in 1968. He did university studies at Creighton University in Omaha, NE, and Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, TX. He also completed an M.A. (1975) and a Ph.D. (1980) in Counselor Education at St. Louis University.
Mourning his passing are his brother-in-law, Richard Moone, nephews Rajean and Ronald Moone, several cousins and many good friends, as well as some 3700 Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate serving in 60 countries.
I always enjoyed Brother Bills Sweeney personality when he visited Immaculata Retreat House in Willimantic, Conn. where I worked for over 30 years. He did conferences for us regarding lay ministry. Such a sence of humor. Loved to camp fish and travel. I was in Alaska at same time he was but didn't have chance to see each other. So sorry when he became unable to do the many things he loved. Just found out he died while looking up Oblates I miss since ratting. God Bless him. I'm sure he is Fiona now it's all who loved him that are sad.
So sad to hear about Brother Bill. He was such a great leader at our Kings house retreats. Wish Lil Jude and I would have taken him up on one of his many trout fishing offers. Just a reminder life is short, share with others as much as possible. God rest his giving soul.
Cultivate a sincere friendship and warm affection for your brothers,
for it is in the manifestation of honest fraternal concern
and love for each other that you and they will show
you are sons of Ryken and disciples of Jesus. (FP)
Bill was like a younger brother to me. At first, like many brothers, our relationship was purely competitive. He was determined to prove that he was as good a basketball player as I was, maybe even better. To his credit, there was not a harder-working athlete. Like Kobe Bryant, he was willing to do whatever it took to reach the next level of play. He was always pushing the limits of his abilities. I was equally determined to prove that I was and always would be better. No younger upstart crow was going to knock me from my perch. We were both centers which we took to mean center of attention. Well, we were in our twenties and that kind of stuff mattered then.
What a heartfelt tribute to an extraordinary friendship and rivalry between two basketball legends. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's words about Bill Walton beautifully capture the essence of their unique bond, both on and off the court. Bill's impact on Kareem's life and the wider basketball community is a testament to his remarkable character and passion for the game. The NBA is not just about competition; it's about the connections and friendships that last a lifetime. Thank you, Kareem, for sharing such a touching and profound reflection on Bill Walton.
I am at the age, 77, when the death of friends and loved ones is as inevitable and irrevocable as rain. I\u2019ve come to accept that grief will be a major traveling companion in my life until my death. But the unexpected death of my close friend, fellow Bruin, and former NBA rival has staggered me. It has left me wobbly as if I\u2019m trying to keep my balance on a small boat in the middle of a violent storm.
I didn\u2019t know how sick Bill was. A few weeks ago, I wanted to visit him but his wonderful wife Lori said he wasn\u2019t feeling well and we postponed. It was so like Bill to keep his illness to himself in order not to worry his friends. He was committed to having every interaction be a positive, uplifting one. A couple of months ago, I was visiting Bill and Lori and mentioned how much I liked the colorful hand-painted dishes we were eating from. Bill immediately dragged me into his kitchen and started pulling down the same dishes until he\u2019d given me a full set. That was the last time I saw him, but it was so quintessentially Bill that I will never forget the pure joy on his face as he handed me those dishes.
He started playing at UCLA for Coach Wooden two years after I graduated. I had won three NCAA championships, he won two. In 1969, I was a first-round, first-overall pick going to the Milwaukee Bucks. In 1974, Bill was a first-round, first-overall pick going to the Portland Trailblazers. Once he joined the NBA, we regularly battled it out, two big men muscling each other in the paint for fourteen years. I was three inches taller and twenty pounds heavier, but Bill never gave an inch. I admired him for that. Our rivalry was so well known that it was even acknowledged in my performance in Airplane! when I snapped at a kid whose dad accused me of not trying except in the playoffs: \u201CTell your old man to drag Walton and Lanier up the court for 48 minutes.\u201D
We faced off in the 1977 Western Conference finals and Bill\u2019s Trail Blazers swept my Lakers 4-0. Baby brother had humbled me. It took ten years for my revenge in the 1987 NBA Finals. Bill was now playing with the Lakers\u2019 fiercest rivals, the Boston Celtics. It was the tenth time the Lakers and Celtics faced off in the NBA Finals. I was 40 years old and Bill was 34. We were both aging warriors closing in on retirement. But our old rivalry energized us and we battled with the same ferocity as we did in our twenties. At least in our minds. In the end, the Lakers won, 4-2.
After that, our rivalry was replaced with friendship. We began hanging out together and found out how much we had in common beyond basketball. My dad was a cop but was also a jazz musician. Bill\u2019s dad was a social worker and music teacher who taught Bill to play baritone horn. Bill and I were both painfully shy as children. We both found basketball to be a haven for our social awkwardness. The difference is that through the years Bill was able to overcome his reserve and become outgoing and gregarious in social settings while I remained reticent. Whenever we were together at a gathering, he bloomed. His enthusiastic personality and sincere concern for others inspired everyone around him. I marveled that he was never afraid to express his unapologetic love of people. He had wanted to be more like me on the court, I wanted to be more like him off the court.
c80f0f1006