+Haggis Hunter Posted December 16, 2005 Share Posted December 16, 2005 (edited) Team Ullium aka Bill & Angela Hemphill, are frequent visitors to the forums, or at least Bill was. As many people may have noticed Bill hasn't been on the forums for a few months, and when he has it has been very briefly. Bill went into hospital around about March 2005 to have an operation on his back, which wasn't a great success, but it wasn't long after he came out of hospital that he started experiencing bad stomach pains. It took the doctors a few months to diagnose what was wrong with him. It has sadly turned out that Bill has cancer of the gullet and bowel, but by the time it was found, it had spread to several other parts of his body. There is virtually nothing that the doctors can do for him, and his condition is deteriorating on a daily basis. Despite his condition, Bill is still in his usual manner and is able to keep in good spirits. Bill regards many people that he has met through Geocaching to be friends, but sadly he hasn't got contact numbers for all of them. He has gave me his blessing to inform the community about his absence, and with his ongoing permission I will keep everyone up to date. Bill & Angela, our thoughts are with you. Edit: To post a recent picture of Bill & Angela Edited December 16, 2005 by Haggis Hunter Quote Link to comment
Deego Posted December 16, 2005 Share Posted December 16, 2005 (edited) Sad news indeed I have had many emails from Bill over the past year or so and He was at the Shropshire meet in September, what a top gent and a colourful character. Edited December 16, 2005 by Deego Quote Link to comment
+Pharisee Posted December 16, 2005 Share Posted December 16, 2005 I heard just a few minutes before reading this thread. That's bad news indeed indeed. Bill and I have met on several occasions, had long conversations and sunk more than a pint or two of beer. We discovered that we have more in common than just geocaching. A nicer guy you couldn't wish to meet. My thoughts are with you and Angela, Bill. Quote Link to comment
+Happy Humphrey Posted December 16, 2005 Share Posted December 16, 2005 Thanks for posting the news, HH. Having introduced Bill to geocaching last year, and having had the privilege of meeting him and Angela in January, I was very sorry to hear the bad news a few weeks ago. Hopefully he'll be strong enough to manage a load more geocaches in the time he has left - I always keep an eye on Team Ullium's progress, not least because of Bill's excellent and highly entertaining cache logs! HH Quote Link to comment
+Firth of Forth Posted December 16, 2005 Share Posted December 16, 2005 I always keep an eye on Team Ullium's progress, not least because of Bill's excellent and highly entertaining cache logs! HH Yes, This one and this one spring to mind! Bill did get himself into some scrapes! I like this one too; it gives a good flavour of what Bill is like! Quote Link to comment
+The Hokesters Posted December 16, 2005 Share Posted December 16, 2005 That is sad news. I have plenty of personal experience, as I am sure many of us have, of this dreadful disease. Whatever Bill needs whether it be space, company or caching I am sure there are the folks around to do it. I have missed Bill from the forums - an acid wit often misunderstood by me for one made for some colourful exchanges in the forums. For those who are in touch with him please pass on my very best wishes. Simon Quote Link to comment
+Stuey Posted December 16, 2005 Share Posted December 16, 2005 Oh that's a huge shame . I was fortunate enough to cache with Bill and Angela at the cache at the base of Ben Nevis called "Waterfall and Ruin" last year. It was a chance meeting, but we all hiked together to the cache. He's a top bloke, a very interesting character! Please pass on my kindest regards to both him and Angela. Stuey Quote Link to comment
+klaus23 Posted December 16, 2005 Share Posted December 16, 2005 Sincere regards from me and all at geocachingireland.com as well. I knew Bill from the 'old' Scottish forum and from e-mail exchanges. My girlfriend's father passed away from Bowel Cancer last year and like Simon and others know only too well how difficult this time must be. Best wishes to him and Angela. Quote Link to comment
+t.a.folk Posted December 16, 2005 Share Posted December 16, 2005 Our thoughts are with you . We had noticed the abscence of your postings on the forums and miss them . A neighbour in his fourties had suffered back ache for years . Got no relief from visits to g.p. Too late it was found he had stomach cancer . Quote Link to comment
+ANDYBUG&LADYBIRD Posted December 16, 2005 Share Posted December 16, 2005 Sad news indeed, we hope the time he has left is not too painful and we will be thinking of him and his family, we never got the chance to meet-but did enjoy his posts on the forums and cache logs. Andy & Kerrie xx Quote Link to comment
+mongoose39uk Posted December 16, 2005 Share Posted December 16, 2005 Sorry to here about this. Pass him my best met team Ullium at the Shropshire meet, quite a character Tony Quote Link to comment
markandlynn Posted December 17, 2005 Share Posted December 17, 2005 Just read this, He took the opportunity at the Shropshire event to come and talk to all of us about our (then recent) trip up arround Edingburgh. Great man we all really enjoyed meeting and corresponding with. Our best wishes and hopes go to him and his family. Quote Link to comment
+Haggis Hunter Posted January 30, 2006 Author Share Posted January 30, 2006 It's about time that everyone got a bit of an update. On Saturday Billy Twigger went round to Bill's house after the SGDO, here is what he wrote - I called in on Bill and Angela on my way home to hand in the card that everyone signed at the SGDO. Bill was awake and I was able to just sit with him for a while. He's suffering terribly, but despite that was keen to hear how everyone was getting on. He didn’t once complain about his predicament, but instead talked about how lucky he was that he had so many friends and wanted to hear about everyone’s geocaching exploits. (The only thing that he was sorry about was that he didn’t have another couple of months to do the 15 caches needed to get him up to 400!) Angela is hoping that he'll be accepted into the Prince and Princes of Wales Hospice early next week. If he can go in, they may be able to manage his pain more effectively and make Bill more comfortable and at the same time take the weight off Angela’s shoulders. She’s really holding things together wonderfully for Bill. It’s very difficult to know what to say to someone in Bill or Angela’s situation, but I’m pretty sure that just letting them know that we’re all thinking about them is some comfort. I got an email off of Angela today, this is what she has said - Just to let you know that Bill is being taken into the Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice tomorrow morning. I'm waiting for the nurses to come this evening and fit a morphine pump - the doctor thought it best if we had it in place before the trip in the ambulance. I'm not sure how long he'll be in for or even if he will be allowed home again. I'm sure the fact that Bill is being accepted into the hospice tomorrow will be a help to him, but also a weight off of Angela's shoulders. Although that doesn't take away how difficult a time this is for her and their family. Quote Link to comment
+Happy Humphrey Posted January 30, 2006 Share Posted January 30, 2006 HH, Thanks enormously for the update. I was getting very worried about the silence, and whilst this isn't good news at all, it's nice to know that Bill is still with us and in safe hands. It's typical that he didn't complain: I bet he still managed that big grin he's always wearing on any caching photo! HH Quote Link to comment
+walkergeoff and wife Posted January 30, 2006 Share Posted January 30, 2006 I never had the privilege of meeting Bill and Angela, but it is clear from all these posts that they were held in very high regard by all who knew them. I send my best wishes and prayers at this very sad time. Quote Link to comment
+woZere Posted January 30, 2006 Share Posted January 30, 2006 Bill,Angela, Though we met you both but briefly at the Shropshire Meet, you are both part of our extended geocaching family and as such are in our thoughts and prayers. Quote Link to comment
+Pengy&Tigger Posted January 30, 2006 Share Posted January 30, 2006 Bill, Although we have only met once and also locked horns on occasion, our thoughts are with you both. P&T Quote Link to comment
Nediam Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 Although we've never met, my thoughts and best wishes are with you and your family..... Quote Link to comment
+Mustard Devil Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 I remember meeting Bill and Angela when I attended the event on Bute last April. Bill made me feel like I was home in Texas(He and my Dad have the same wit Will keep you in my thoughts and prayers! Quote Link to comment
+kbootb Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 Sad news indeed. I had worndered why things were so quiet. Ullium was one of the first names in the forum that stood out for me and his posts are much missed. Add me to the list of people keeping him and his family in my thoughts. Quote Link to comment
+The Hokesters Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 Sad, sad, Good luck William and Angela. Quote Link to comment
+KiwiGary Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 Well I must say that’s very sad news about Bill. Both myself and Margaret meet Bill and Angela at the Shropshire Camping event in September last year. I remember he was a bit of a character, and had some great tales to tell. Here is picture of Bill talking to Mattwaggie about his famous jug travel bug. Please pass along our best wishes along to Bill and Angela. Gary and Margaret Quote Link to comment
+DTJM Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 This is very sad news. After we successfully found 'Ayrport' cache whilst on holiday in Scotland in September 2004, we received a congratulations message from Bill when we returned home which made our day! Our thoughts are with you both. Denise & Tim DTJM, Farnborough Quote Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.