As this news just explodes across our community this week, here are more people with thoughts on our good friend Bill Gonillo, who died yesterday at age 44.
Tim Parry, FCIAC Football Blog: Bill Gonillo dead at 44
Jim Fuller, New Haven Register: From joy to sorrow
WTNH-8 staff: Noah Finz: Losing a good friend; Mark Robbins: I miss him already!
Rob Adams: WGCH 1490-AM: Bill Gonillo dead at 44
Michael Fornabaio, Connecticut Post: RIP, Bill Gonillo
This the great things about blogs, we all don’t have to be newspaper writers to eulogize our good friend. I haven’t been able to read any of these or the comments on this blog with dry eyes.
Email me at sbowley@ctpost.com if you have a link you’d like to share, or post in the comments below.
Meanwhile, I rummaged around my stuff, and here’s my one and only video/photo of Big Bill, proudly signing for his food vouchers at the media desk during the Pilot Pen tennis tournament. In case you can’t hear, he says, “I’m posing with my girlfriend,” while holding those bag of chips.
He was an absolute classic with the food jokes.
And here’s Mike Quick‘s anticipated tribute at the end of his Monday Madison Square Garden Network high school sports vlog. Just watching Mike suffer through those words breaks my heart.
Finally: Here was something posted on Michael Fornabaio‘s SoundTigers blog. I guess Gonillo was a HUGE Odd Couple Fan and attended yearly fan club meetings with a bunch of people who have already posted tribute notes on this site. Incredible.
We love you, Billy. Save a spot in the buffet. line for us.
Here’s the information on the wake and funeral:
Wake: Wednesday at the Chase Parkway Memorial Funeral Home, 430 Chase Parkway, Waterbury, 4-8 p.m.
Funeral: Thursday, Blessed Sacrament Church, Robbins Street, Waterbury, 10 a.m.
Bill was the greatest of guys. As a video editor I always enjoyed working with Bill when he came by to voice over a show for The Outdoor life network. He had a contagious personality and was great fun to work with. He will be missed by everyone who ever knew him.
Dominick Lombardi
Bill was indeed a Big “Odd Couple” fan. I met him 3 years ago at the 1st Annual Odd Couple Get Together held at The Press Box in NYC. He arrived late because He flew in from an assignment in Montreal. As soon as He arrived, You knew He was the life of the party. What a great guy with a Great sense of humor. This past November at the 3rd Annual Get Together, Bill (Scooter Scott as We knew him) sang a Door’s song on the Karaoki mic at Joe O’s. He had a beautiful singing voice. I’m so glad I got to meet Him, and got to read his posts at The Odd Couple Message Board. This Novembers meeting will be sad without Him. He will be missed.
That’s absolutely amazing! I didn’t know that about him. Oscar Madison, indeed.
It was with a very heavy heart that I read the email this morning from my Athletic Director about Bill’s passing.
In my ten years coaching hockey in Connecticut, I have not met a man more genuinely passionate about sports and kids.
With his ubiquitous camera, sweatshirt and smile, Bill made sports just a bit more fun. In his interviews with our athletes at Fairfield Prep, he always asked the right question. He seemed to sense just what would bring out the best in kids, and he put that best on the screen each night to remind us what is just so good about high-school sports and our community.
I will miss his wit, humor, dedication and passion.
The rinks around Connecticut will be just a bit colder this season
Bill Gonillo covered sports in Southwestern Connecticut with such passion. Meet him once and you felt like you’d known him forever. He was interested in what we do here at CBS News, but what was so impressive was the fact that he was HAPPY doing sports right where he was, at News 12. When going to a Bluefish game, we’d often see Bill shooting his own video. He always had a kind word, and something funny, to say. And when he covered a high school or a college game, he made you feel like YOU were the most important story out there. Wonderful to watch, in-studio. Always a quick quip. And he was a good writer. Could get a lot of info in there, in a tight time-frame. Well-respected, well-liked, and the most comfortable guy to be around. We should all be grateful that Bill left such a solid legacy. If you cover local sports, you should hope to be like Bill Gonillo. My friend, I miss you.
– Dave Barrett
Correspondent
CBS News – Radio Network
My first season coaching girls’ basketball at Bridgeport Central high, Bill covered many of our games…his presence would give my team a second wind. Bill was our “sixth man” and the FCIAC # 1 fan.
Miss you,
OFrancis
Head Coach
Girls’BB/X Country
Bpt.Central High
Thanks for this page Sean… Bill was one of the best… A quick Walter Camp story… Bill actually received our Media Award in 2005 – well-deserved and there couldn’t be a more worthy recipient… Everyone at the WCFF loved Bill – the room would light up when he entered… at our annual national awards dinner on Saturday night, Billy would always come half-way through the dinner because of his on-air commitments… but one (or two) salad, steak and his favorite “twice-baked” potato would be left for him to gobble up and then he would then get his interviews – usually he would just walk up – with his camera of course – right to the award recipients on the dais – who were usually eating their dinner – and get his interviews… only Bill would be able to interrupt these people and get an interviews! Bill had such a pleasant perspective, and as others have said, he always tried to help people and give them the recognition they deserved. Simply, Bill was “good people”!