RIP Bill Bender-AKA Merlin 1958

[herbertwest]

Oh crap.
RIP Bill

[Mr. Rabbit Trick]

Just heard. I'm so sad. Bill's sense of humour fit in with me perfectly. Always winding people up and "grenade throwing". He was a very generous man and did a lot for others you will never hear about.

You have your place in Heaven.

[RainInSpain]

How incredibly sad. RIP Bill

[ke7285]

RIP Bill, condolences to his family.

[Stockerlone]

Very sad news, RIP Bill....

[frik]

My condolences to the family.
You will be missed, Bill.

sk

[fernandito]

Oh my god... I was just thinking about him the other day. This is heartbreaking news.

We had our disagreements over the years but we would always talk privately afterwards and clear up any misunderstandings. There was nothing but love and mutual respect in the end.

He was a huge part of this site and will be forever missed. RIP Bill.

[webstar1000]

RIP Bill…. Sorry to hear this.

[Alec]

A tall man he may have been, but he never looked down on anyone.
His kindness and caring only left everyone looking up to him.

Rest In Peace.

[mosheprigan]

RIP, my dear friend Bill.
It was an honour to have known you and converse with you, always humourously, via our emails, and doting on our beloved grandchildren.
Thank you for everything you've done for me; your infinite kindness will always be remmembered.
I will miss you, Bill.

[The Library Policeman]

Ah fuck. Terrible news. One of the best friends I never met. As others have said, his kindness was legendary. He used to send my daughter random Disney gifts from across the pond. She loved him and so did I.

RIP Wild Bill. You’ll be missed.

[amd013]

Wow, such sad news! RIP Bill!


Always wished I would meet him one day. He reached out with kind words in PM's from time to time. He was definetly a giver, and will be sorely missed!



I am making a donation to Shriners in Bill's name. It is asking for (optional) recipient's name and email. Since I already mentioned Bill's name as the Honoree, who's name/email do I put here? A surviving family member? How do I make sure the donation is seen by his family?

[shaq]

Oh my. My heart is so heavy!

I’m going to go sit and look at my Charlie the Choo Choo book he sent me for a while.

True gent, character, and huge part of the King community.

Sad days.

RIP Bill

[Rahfa]

It's fitting that his final post was trying to encourage people to contribute to the TDT.org fundraiser.

It also would have been fitting if his final post had been picking a fight with RF.

Goodbye Bill.

[Cook]

My true condolences to the family, if they should read this.
Bill was always an interesting one, he will be missed by many.

I purchased not to long ago a Different Seasons HC from/thru him. (not really sure)
If Jerome is interested in auctioning it, we can use all the funds for DT.org in his memory.

[MikeDuke]

R.I.P Bill. You truly were one of a kind .

[EXPLORER]

I don't have many pictures of Bill, but here is one from a Los Angeles event with the Rock Bottom Remainders. Bill of course is the tallest person in the pics. I'll leave it to others to figure out who else is pictured.

BILL was a SPECIAL HUMAN BEING.. His kindness inspired, His thoughtfulness inspired.
His desire to do all he could for the good he saw in people as well as his willingness to help those he saw in need was amazing.
I knew Bill for a number of years and we spoke not as frequently lately however when we did it was like it was only yesterday that we shared our last story..
He was the type of friend I will now miss knowing the last words we shared were our last story!

I can only hope he is now feeling the peace he deserved and his family can live on holding fast to the fine memories I know they shared.
RIP MERLIN

WHEN one of the friends in the picture called to alert me of this post, I knew i had to drop by here and see the news for myself.
It was tough to read and had me recalling I had just been speaking of Bill recently.
Bill was such a staple here it was hard to think he would not be here stirring something up or promoting some cause.
It was after posting some quick thoughts I left the page and have had time to take my suggestion and think of some good times shared.
Bill canceled his bus ticket & rode back from LA event with my wife and I to Phoenix where he lived.
It was a great ride with great conversations.... and a few stops to allow Merlin to have a smoke on the road.
When I would return to Phoenix to visit my son, Bill would always suggest we meet for lunch or dinner and conversation.
The heart of this man was huge and his person... WILL LIVE ON in GOOD MEMORIES OF TIMES & CONVERSATIONS SHARED !

[T-Dogz_AK47]

This is such sad news; Bill was like a brother to me here. The site has lost a legend!

RIP Bill.

[Jon]

Goodbye Bill!

[NeedfulKings]

This is heartbreaking. RIP Bill - you left a huge imprint on this planet and in these hallowed forums.

[Joe315]

I’ll miss his, LOLs, and misplaced commas,. I didn’t interact with him all that much but he seemed like a very nice person, even if, once and awhile, a post of his rubbed me the wrong way. You will be missed Bill.

[DoctorZaius]

Who'd a thought that a Yankees fan would be one of the most inviting and generous individuals to this Red Sox Fan. Miss you.

[Kongo]

R.I.P Wild Bill. I'll treasure my Doctor Sleep GE even more now. Thank you for your kindness

[Ivo]

RIP Bill. I will miss all the confusion. LOL, LOL.

[Garrell]

This hurts. Bill and I have been talking for 10+ years and jabbing each other on Norte Dame and Bama. Actually, any sports. This really saddens my heart. He was a handful at times but such a great heart. My last case I made was for him (I eventually will get back to case making). I didn't want to do the case but he hounded me relentlessly and I eventually did. He tried paying $50 but I refunded all but ten. I didn't even cash the first check he sent unannounced, he got mad and sent another and ranted that I better cash it. I will miss his conversations. We lost a great person as did his family. Prayers to his family and friends. I will truly miss you Bill.