Rachel's Memorial Eulogy

Thank you all for coming to our gathering in the Adirondacks in honor of my husband Bill Eldridge. Its been a long and hard mourning process for me, our son Benjamin and our extended family...sisters – sisters in law, brothers...brothers in law and nieces and nephews... On this day, we have honored Bill by scattering his ashes in the mountains where he was born and which he loved deeply. Many of you shared that love by hiking, camping, and climbing together. Some of you have known him since he was an infant, some since his late teens and some met him later in life. For some of us it has been difficult to accept that Bill was taken from us at such a young age and we seek some understanding and answers to help us accept what happened. For some the answer lies with your religious or philosophical beliefs; for others it lies elsewhere. No matter what your beliefs, we seek meaning in the kind of life Bill led, what he accomplished.

Click here to read the rest of the eulogy...

Submissions Requested!!!

If you have a story, memory or anecdote about Bill, please send to us. It could be a paragraph or a page. Could be a hike you did, a mountain you climbed, a trip somewhere, a dinner shared, a record listened to, whatever it is we would like to collect some stories together... benwiener@gmail.com

West End Cafe, NYC 1980's

Bill often played at the West End Cafe when they had live music, right across from Columbia University. This is the cover to the cassette of a live show that someone made...

Bluebird Quartet and Widespread Depression - 1970's

Here are some pictures from the early days with Widespread Depression, which played all around the North East, Bill's group The Bluebird Quartet in Rhode Island and a flyer for announcements...
Patrick Baron, one of Bill's old friends who also worked with him in the piano business later on in NYC, is seen second from the left on the trombone.
Rachel helped with the design for the announcement poster taken from an old record label.

"Ladies and gentleman, here they are... the Bluebird Quartet!"

Sunday May 24th Memorial Hike and Gathering in Honor of Bill

Thanks to everyone for coming. Happy Fathers Day! We all miss you Bill!

The memorial hike to scatter Bill’s ashes in the high peaks area of the Adirondacks and a gathering in Elizabethtown, New York will be on Sunday, May 24, 2009 rain or shine. We have selected Owl Head Lookout, which is a moderate hike of 3-4 hours roundtrip. You should bring layers of clothing, including a waterproof outer shell in case of wet weather. Waterproof or leather boots are recommended as the trail may be muddy from snow and spring runoff. Bring water, energy bars and snacks. Leaving 8 am Sharp from the trail head.

Here is one description of the hike: http://adksports.com/october08_fb1.html

Here is a another description of the hike http://www.vtsports.com/articles/owl-head-lookout-2480-feet and

a map of the location: http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=115223226901242642335.000461538e7a3d9492b6c&ll=44.262904,-73.641357&spn=0.219806,0.420227&z=11.

Following the hike, a memorial gathering will be held on Sunday May 24th in Elizabethtown, New York at the Church of the Good Shepherd Parish Hall, 10 Williams Street, starting a 4 pm. Refreshments and Jazz. http://www.etowngoodshepherd.org/index.html

If you have any questions, please email us at memorialblog@gmail.com. Please let us know if you plan to attend the memorial service and hike so we can get a preliminary count.

Elizabethtown Map...

Climbing, Hiking and Other Outdoor Adventures

As many of you know, Bill was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed hiking and climbing in any season and any weather. But he was also a passionate cyclist and marathon runner. Here are some stories of those adventures from the White Mountains to the Grand Tetons and many places in between. We invite you to share experiences you had with Bill on our blog. And send us images to post with the details of where and when to memorialblog@gmail.com.