Remembering Bill Conrad

Stories shared at his celebration of life

Every summer, my father took us to Canada on fishing trips.

Just after he died, I went to the Big Fish Bait & Beer store for a 12-pack of grief counselling.

Greg, the owner, was behind the counter. I told him about my father.

Greg said, “He’s in a better place now.”

I looked at him stunned and said, “You mean dad went to Canada and didn’t take us?”

Bill Conrad will be hard pressed to find a better place. Thanks to him and a few other like-minded folks, I can’t imagine a better place than the Mohican River Corridor. Bill was instrumental in getting scenic river and scenic byway status for the river and Wally Road respectively. He dedicated much of his life to preserving its history and future.

From time to time, I’d stop by the house to visit with Bill. Sometimes I arrived by river, sometimes by Wally Road. If he knew far enough ahead of time I was coming, he’d pick up some liverwurst from Kroger in Mount Vernon. He’d treat me to liverwurst sandwiches and Molson Golden. We’d sit out on the porch and he’d give me advice on ensuring the future of the Mohican River Corridor. Our sessions reminded me of the Kung Fu TV series when the old master passed on pearls of wisdom to the youthful devotee he called “weed hopper.”

Of all the things Bill ever taught me, one stuck out.

Bill told me, “The scenic designation don’t mean a thing unless you take ownership of the river. Take responsibility for it.”

He told me that for two reasons: One, because it was true and two, because it was his way of saying he was passing the torch. He was telling me that soon it would be my turn to help carry on his mission.

Soon after Bill passed, Curtis Casto and I took a three-day canoe trip from Loudonville to Cavallo. We stopped to camp the first night at the Conrad place. Gretchen, his daughter, presented me with a vintage Old Town canoe paddle.

“Dad wanted you to have this,” she said.

I used that paddle for the rest of the trip. It will travel with me on all my river adventures.

There’s something honest about it. It’s heavier than the fancy carbon fiber paddle I normally use. It demands more of me in terms of strength, effort, and stamina. Its long blade bites deeper into the water. There’s something satisfying about the way it propels the canoe through the water with a sense of resolve.

Now I know why Bill wanted me to have it.