News
Bill Reese dies; famed western artist, former board member of Alpha-1 Foundation and Association
William F. (Bill) Reese, a famed western artist and former member of both the Alpha-1 Foundation and Alpha-1 Association boards, died Sunday, June 6.
In a cover story on Reese in the Winter 2007 issue of Alpha-1-to-One magazine, he wrote about how he and his wife Fran rearranged their lives after his Alpha-1 diagnosis.
“When I was diagnosed, I started planning to die. Then I realized that I should start planning to live,” he said. “I thought about all the things I didn’t want to miss, and set out to do them.”
Reese’s determination to fulfill his personal “bucket list,” created long before the term became popular, capped a wonderful life and led to an inspirational video.
A memorial service will be held at the Cashmere Riverside Center, 201 Riverside Drive, Cashmere, WA, Tuesday, June 15, at 11 am. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to the Alpha-1 Foundation or the Cashmere Museum and Historic Pioneer Village.
In June of 2009, Reese was to be the inspirational speaker at the Alpha-1 Association national education conference in San Francisco. He couldn’t attend due to illness, so out of desperation he assembled a video on his computer.
When it was presented at the conference, the reception was so overwhelmingly positive that the Alpha-1 Foundation made a DVD of the presentation and posted it online.
“I did this project in the hope it would awaken the urgency needed to live our lives to the fullest without delay,” Reese says in his introduction to the video.
“I realize there are many cons to knowing that your life may soon come to and end, but there may be a few pros as well,” he says. “For one, it gives us the chance to right wrongs and make some moves we might have left on hold to the point that we never get them done.
“The message is not meant to be sad or morbid, but uplifting. It might encourage you to take up a lifestyle, a hobby or a trip you never had the time to do. Now you have the chance to tell a friend or family member how much you love and admire them, because it no longer seems maudlin or embarrassing.”
Reese’s donated the use of one of his paintings to illustrate the Alpha-1 Foundation’s holiday card for many years.
