Hello Hollywood Divers Family,
We will Have the Bill Strong Memorial at Hollywood Divers on Sunday October 13th from 2 til 6 PM.
Bill Strong , ( William Edmond ) - Born October 28, 1966
Bill Did not want a funeral service but was always up for a Party. We will be having food and drinks for this Gathering.
Please bring your own adult beverages if you like.
Please Wear your favorite casual 80's, Metal or Music Themed getup. We are imagining that Bill looking down on all of us in Denim, Black Leather and Goth garb would be special to him.
Bill Fought Lung Cancer for the last few years and Decided that he would Use his Legal End of Life Choice as his condition was growing increasingly worse. With no cure or chance of transplant he had approval to take the Oral Palative - terminal Medication and Begin his Next Journey. He Passed on September 18th 2024 on a beautiful sunny Wednesday Morning at 10:39 AM.
He Died Peacefully, Sitting up in his Chair in his Living Room at Home. He was Typically Chipper Earlier in the Morning and showed no Fear in what was to Come. He Knew he was ready to go and felt no pain.
He Told us all How Much he Loved us and That we had made his life all the better. He also added he would “see us on the beach"
Bill was an Avid Diver, Trip Leader, Leading Saleperson / Partner for us at Hollywood Divers and Held Instructor Ratings from both PADI and NAUI. He was respected in the Diving industry and I personally worked with him since late 1995. He was honest and trustworthy the entire way.
Bill traveled to Palau, Truk, Galapagos, Hawaii, Maldives, Borneo, Thailand, The Caribbean and Sea of Cortez, Hawaii and His Fav, The Phillipines. He would return from a trip with his eyes all aglow from the amazing things he had experienced.
Amazingly, Post Cancer Diagnosis - His Most Recent Dive Trip was to Komodo Islands aboard the The Arenui Liveaboard Boat. He Loved it and Highly Reccomends this Vessel.
If You Knew Bill, You Knew he had a gift. Bill had a way with words and his enthusiasm was Evident everywhere he went. He loved Rock n Roll Music and was a Killer Guitar Player. His Patience in dealing with skiddish divers and demanding customers is unmatched !
When I met Bill Aboard the Slow Boat to Catalina in 1995 we Exchanged Numbers so we could schedule a dive or go have a drink sometime. he was also interested in working in the dive industry. Lucky for me that I was able to help him get a job working for the company I was working for. We learned together and made plans for the future.
We even became Roommates for a few years and we had loads of hilarious adventures.
We Played Tennis to sweat out the previous nights beverages, taught pool sessions in the pool on the property that we rented and chartered local boats to teach our scuba classes on. Lobster Hunting and Day trips were always on tap. These were the Good Ol days. Listening to the best bands, going to shows, and traveling to amazing dive spots.
Soon after, we opened Hollywood Divers. You know the rest.
Because of Bill's relentless dedication and constant forward thinking, we have remained open in Hollywood since 2001.
Please meet us for a tribute to Bill on October 13th at the store. 2 PM til 6PM if you don’t like metal, bring earplugs!!!!!
See also, this tribute Dive Day in November. We are Chartering the Spectre Dive Boat - Come with us - Spots are Going fast. 1/2 the boat fee will go toward charity to keep end of life rights legal in California.
Love and Respect to you our beloved Customer and fellow Freak of The Deep !
Viva - The Memory, Energy and Attitudes of Bill Strong.