John William Adams

John William "Bill" Adams, aged 97 years, died on the Fourth of July, 2020, at the Woodland Terrace in Bridgman, Michigan. His family, in an effort to prevent the ubiquitous and virulent Covid-19 virus from entering the facility, was skyping to his bedside when he died. Born in Maysville, Kentucky, on May 25, 1923 to John Henry and Frankie (née Montgomery) Adams, he was preceded in death by his wife of 72 years, Dorothy Margaret (née Weichhand) Adams, in February. He is survived by his three sons, Michael William Adams, Stephen Lawrence Adams, M.D., and Gregory (Irmgard Seidl-Adams, Ph.D.) Thomas Adams, Ph.D. He also is survived by his four grandchildren, John Henry Adams, Ph.D., Stephan Helmut Adams, Michael Thomas Adams, and Christopher Joseph Adams. He is survived as well by his sister-in-law Dolores (Priestle) Weichhand, three nephews, and a niece. His brother-in-law, Harry Joseph Weichhand, preceded him in death, as did two nieces and a nephew. Not to be excluded in this necrology would be the remembrance that he was also preceded in death by his constant caninical companions in life; Beans, Tuffy, Pharoah, Moses, and, the Moose; one of whom is pictured above. (N.B.: Dad is on the left.) An only child, he grew up in Maysville, Kentucky, and Cincinnati, Ohio (Norwood/Deer Park). He graduated from St. Matthew’s Grade School and Deer Park High School. Proud of his military service, he joined the Army during World War II with the intent of becoming a pilot and was sent to Boston College for flight training as a member of the Army Specialized Training Unit with the Army Air Forces. Feeling toploftical after passing the eye exam, (he was bespectacledly worried that he would not qualify for pilot training because his ‘eyesight was not good enough’); he was then advised, at the very next station shortly thereafter, that he was ‘too tall to be a pilot’! During the surge in the war, he was sent to the battlefields of France. He was a member of the 26th Infantry in the Yankee Division of Patton’s 3rd Army. Promoted to a Squad Leader on the battlefield, he also served as the Platoon’s French translator. He recovered in an Army Field Hospital in France, then England, and subsequently, San Antonio, Texas, for injuries sustained while in Europe. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal, the Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB), and the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal (EAMECM) for his service in battle in France and Germany. After his honorable discharge, he graduated from the University of Cincinnati (Mechanical Engineering) and spent stints at the Crosley Corporation in Cincinnati and the Elgin Watch Company in Kentucky before beginning his career with the Whirlpool Corporation in Marion, Ohio, Danville, Kentucky, and St. Joseph, Michigan. He finished his career as the Corporate Director of Manufacturing Engineering for the Whirlpool Corporation. A gregarious gentleman, he was an ersatz fiddler (he would claim ‘violinist’) who, as a youth, when he ‘could sneak into the establishment’, played in ‘a string band’ with his father and both uncles. An ardent athlete, he was a great golfer (with three alleged holes-in-one!), a burnished bowler (who can believe that he never claimed a perfect game!), a fervent football fan of The Ohio State University, and a rabid Reds Rooter until he reluctantly converted to the Chicago Cubs at the closing of the Century. He also happened to be an alert aficionado of alliteration. He was kin to the Hatfields and the combination of his unforgettable heritage and his indelible memory made for some very never remissible times! He was commissioned as a Colonel by the Governor of Kentucky in The Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels. He was blessed with an unquestionably inquisitive mind. As a mechanical engineer, he would incessantly ponder the how and why of the way things work. At age 95, he wanted to use a hacksaw to cut an insulated coffee cup in half in order to ‘understand its thermodynamic properties’. Amazingly, he died with all of his fingers intact. He could argue with a signpost, and deftly walk away believing himself to be correct. He singularly holds the current world record for utilizing the phrase “You know, what you really ought to do…” and, generally, most folks who knew him well actually ended up doing as they ‘ought’… A stern command of “eat your grits and goetta” was directed toward guests to the home who had never even heard of the Cincinnati-Kentucky delicacy. Strangely, no one ever seemed to return to the home of The Adams Family for further sustenance. Patience was not always his strong suit, but optimism prevailed. A fervent Roman Catholic, he would always arrive at Mass 15 minutes early, only to complain afterward about the length of the sermon. At a particularly slow serviced eatery, his menu of quips would include the trope that: ‘This would be a good place to build a restaurant’. On our much maligned family camping trips (e.g., leaky tent roof, tent stakes forgotten at home, an aforementioned rain-soaked dog shaking off massive moisture inside the tent), he once awakened the family to a picnic table devoid of food after a nocturnal scavenging visit from a bear, and proudly proclaimed: ‘You know, if we had some ham, we could have some ham and eggs for breakfast, if we had some eggs…’ He was a wonderful and generous husband, father, and grandfather. He doted on his wife throughout her final, difficult years, attending to her every need. He drove until he was 96, and he could often be seen helping her into the car to attend Mass with the schoolchildren at Lake Michigan Catholic or to have dinner together while watching the setting of the sun over Lake Michigan. He was such a good sport that he even took his wife to their own, recently sold, home for her to buy items from her own estate sale! He was kind to all, always had a pleasant word for anyone he met, and was willing, and able, to engage anyone in conversation. He loved all animals, and would stop to pet any, and every, member of the canid subfamily Caninae walking down the street. In accordance with his wishes, he has been cremated and a private Latin Mass of Christian Burial has been held at Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Bridgman, Michigan, with the Rev. Arthur Howard as celebrant. A Funeral Mass for both him and his wife will also be held at Guardian Angels Catholic Church in Mt. Washington, Cincinnati, Ohio, where they were married well over seven decades ago (and they said it would never last…). Interment will take place in the family plot in Mother of God Cemetery in Covington, Kentucky. In lieu of donations or flowers, the family requests that prayers and intriguing queries be sent to heaven. He will certainly be there to add spice and offer sage advice to any, and every, Blessed Soul.