Billy's Journal

Billy Tower, father of the four of us (Meg, Court, Cathy and me - Tim) passed away in our mother's arms, Bunny Clark Tower, at 3:00 PM EDT on Tuesday, July 16, 2013, after just getting out of the hospital with pneumonia complications. This after taking a drive through Perkins Cove only moments before leaving us. He died of pulmonary/cardio complications. Of course, Billy Tower will be most known for starting Barnacle Billy's and as one of the most successful fishermen on the Maine coast. But the four of us will remember him as a wonderful father with a wonderful mother. Together they were great parents and the consummate couple. To me they seemed the perfect fit. But, then, I am their son.

It has been an emotional roller coaster ride since his passing. But everything was in place for an eventuality such as this. So we haven't lost a beat at the restaurants. But we have lost a wonderful person who left us with a legacy and a gift. And I have lost a mentor, my best friend and my best man.

No services have been planned, either private or public. This is something he insisted on. Instead, he felt that if you wanted to do something for him he had two charities that he was very much involved in. One was the Marginal Way Preservation Fund. If you would like to donate, you can go to this page and click the "donate" button. The other was the Pan-Mass Challenge, a cycling event that I have been involved in for seven years that raises money for cancer research and care with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts. This link will direct you to my PMC page. If you would rather go to their home page you can click on this page: PMC and donate through me, Tim Tower. I was drawn to this charity years ago because the DFCI is always one of the top five cancer research and care facilities in the country, it's right in our back yard and 100% of every rider raised dollar goes directly to the cause.

Don Carrigan from the TV station WCSH (channel 6) in Portland, Maine contacted me at the restaurant the day after our father died. He wanted to do an interview. I directed the question to my mother who was not prepared at that time. She wanted me to do it. So I informed Donthat it would happen, grabbed my brother, Court, to help me do the interview and the cameras rolled. The interview turned into a tribute to Billy Tower that aired on Thursday night, July 18th. This is the link to the tribute. I'm not sure how long this will remain on line.

Lastly I want to thank everyone from our family's deepest hearts for the condolences, support and flowers so many have donated. We all appreciate the kind words, the offers and the kindness you all have shown us. Everything I do reminds me of my father. The ride has been tough. But I know that what he has done for us and the way he did it will stay with us and make us better and stronger for it.