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William D Connor- RIP

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BonMallari

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
It is with a heavy heart that I must post that Bill passed away last week at the of 86. in Colorado Springs Co. he was known here on the RTF as cannuckiller

Bill won the 1972 National Open with NFC AFC Royal Moose's Moe and also judged the 1977 National Amateur

He is one of a few amateur handlers to title both a lab and a Golden Retriever ( FC AFC Ripp N Ready)

Bill had judged over 100 trials major/minor stakes


a former Marine lieutenant, he was a tough man who may have had more than his share of disagreements with fellow competitors and even a few fellow judges...

He had just completed a memoir called " 50 Years to Heel and Back"


I will miss our long talks and all the things he taught me about judging and setting up field trial tests

Semper Fi Marine
 
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#2 ·
I'm sad to hear of Bills passing. He truly loved the sport. He had strong opinions, strong passions, and a strong love of the sport. RIP my friend.
 
#4 · (Edited)
Sad news, indeed. Although he judged our Utah field trials a couple of times since I started with my first dog in 2012, I don't think I ever had a chance to meet him. He sent me many PMs in response to questions I have posed to the RTF, and most recently mailed me some judge sheets. I will have to double check when I get home, but I think he included some pages from his book with those.:(
 
#5 ·
Thanks, Bon. The person that first contacted me was the one helping him with his book. Writing that book has kept him going for a long time, sadly, not long enough to have it published.

Bon tracked down about Bill's death as many people were concerned that they hadn't heard from him in the last two weeks.

Bill was the judge when I won an Amateur which gave Luke (my first field trial dog and a Golden) his AFC title. Luke had his win and I needed a few points, but to get the title with another win was over the top. From that point on, Bill kept an eye on me and my dogs, would bring up questions for me to mull, could be very Marine Corp at times!, and would always answer any questions I might have. He never hesitated to step on toes if he felt they needed stepping on. I hope he went softly into the night.

Glenda
 
#6 ·
Rest in Peace, Bill. You were a mentor and a friend. I will never forget you or the memories and stories.
 
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#7 ·
Bill judged our UT trials a couple times. Don't remember exact circumstance but on one occasion while running the qual Bill thought my dog didn't get a fair shake. I think it was a question of whether my dogs saw a mark or was distracted by some sort of interference. He actually asked me and let me decide whether I got a rerun or not! Dog missed the bird in question but he did see it go down. Told Bill thank you very much but the dog just didn't do the test, no rerun. If Bill was still with us he could tell you exactly what happened. I joked with him one time on a dog I ran in the open under him. He replied with an exact commentary on what my dog did that day and this was about 3 or 4 years after the fact! Bill was a unique individual and VERY dedicated to our sport along with everybody and every dog in it.
 
#8 ·
I feared this was going to be the outcome when Glenda made the “where is Bill” post. I can’t tell you how much I hate this outcome.

We are losing a Great Generation of Field Trialer’s and Bill was one of them.

I’m going to miss him.
 
Discussion starter · #11 ·
trog said:
Any one have Obituary information. Bill was a member of the Madison Retriever Club and we would like to get this information to our members.
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I looked everywhere for one...I am sure that Bill made provisions for his afterlife, guessing he would use his military option and be buried at the nearest military location...I dont know if he is survived by his sister or not...I only knew those on some of his email list...I contacted Tina at the Retriever News and we are going to try and come up with something appropriate for the Dec issue

I do know for a fact that his birthday was Nov 10, which he shared with his beloved Marine Corps...and I think he told me he was approaching 86 years of age...

If I find any more info I will post it up

Thanks for letting me know about the Madison RC , I will add that on his epitaph...
 
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#15 ·
I'm not sure exactly how it went down, but about 3 years ago he sent me a message on here, and told me to call him. We talked dogs for a long time on the telephone. Several weeks later I received a package in the mail that contained a copy of the manuscript for his forthcoming book, "To Heel & Back".

Guess I need to read it again in his honor. Honorable man.
 
#16 · (Edited)
Very sorry to hear this - Bill was an great guy.

I trained with Bill some about 12 or so years ago - I knew he was knowledgeable and very very helpful but I was too naive to realize the depth of his experience and knowledge.


Farewell Bill and rest in peace.
 
#17 ·
ATTENTION PLEASE! Bill Connor information!

Greetings to all & thank you for your kind words. Bill is my cousin and I am making the arrangements for his cremation. I apologize for the delay, but it was unavoidable. I'm new to this forum and can not send private messages until I've made 10 posts, but I hope one of you will be able to private message me with your email address so I may get the necessary information for Bill Connor's obituary, etc. Please do so ASAP. Thank you!
 
#18 ·
Webfucius said:
Greetings to all & thank you for your kind words. Bill is my cousin and I am making the arrangements for his cremation. I apologize for the delay, but it was unavoidable. I'm new to this forum and can not send private messages until I've made 10 posts, but I hope one of you will be able to private message me with your email address so I may get the necessary information for Bill Connor's obituary, etc. Please do so ASAP. Thank you!
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You could make some posts in this thread so that you can PM people. Else perhaps start a new thread asking for contributions about Bill.

Condolences to your family. I hope you have heard from Bon by now.
 
Discussion starter · #19 ·
Webfucius said:
Greetings to all & thank you for your kind words. Bill is my cousin and I am making the arrangements for his cremation. I apologize for the delay, but it was unavoidable. I'm new to this forum and can not send private messages until I've made 10 posts, but I hope one of you will be able to private message me with your email address so I may get the necessary information for Bill Connor's obituary, etc. Please do so ASAP. Thank you!
Click to expand...
I sent you a private message with my contact info
 
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