A Bench for Bill

As you may know, our classmate Bill Connole was the victim of a fatal drive-by shooting on June 3, 2015 in Loveland,Colorado where he had lived and raised his family for over 30 years. He was left to die on the street corner a block from his house. The killer, Christoppher Parker was arrested in 2018 and has been held in Larimer County jail in Ft Collins since then. He will be sentenced on June 26th after finally admitting to killing Billy.

Billy was 65 when he was killed and had just completed a grueling series of radiation and chemo treatments for throat cancer and was preparing to retire. He was feeling good and getting back to his old crusty self when he was gunned down by a stranger leaving three grown children, five grandchildren and the sleepy Loveland community rattled to its core.

Billy (Animal) was a loveable and rambunctious presence at Regis during those wild and wooly days. HIs green truck took us on adventures

everywhere at any time night or day. He threw terrific after concert parties where he served up his great homemade beer out of trash cans. You may remember he was the night watchman who walked the campus carrying a baseball bat to fight off any bad guys who might try to invade our happy hunting ground. He would often fall asleep under the steps of the science building before his shift was over and his profs would shake him awake in the morning, “Time for class Connole.” How Billy was that? He made life at Regis better.

Billy has gone but his memory lives in the hearts of all who knew him. He was just a good guy, the kind to lend a hand without question or expectation. He was gruff and curmudgeonly but if you knew him you couldn't help but love him and the way he died was ugly, tragic and underserved

This letter is to ask if you would like to contribute to a memorial bench for Billy to be placed outside the science building on the Regis campus. The grounds team and I have identified a beautiful spot under a tree just by the science building steps where he snoozed. They will lay a pad for a flagstone bench to sit on with flagstone steps going up to it from the sidewalk. It should be installed by the time we have our reunion in September this year.

I would love to hear memories of our Regis days, see photos you might still have and of course answer any questions you may have.