“The Bear” Makes His Way Home

On this Veteran’s Day I would like to tell you about one of the most unique individuals I have known or will ever know, a man who loved life even when it didn’t love him back and one who never wasted a day on what might have been but rather looked forward to the day when his ship would finally come in. 

James Edward "The Bear" Williams was born in Brooklyn, New York on May 16, 1928, he only child of Lillian Maloney and Percy Williams. He attended Far Rockaway High School and enlisted in the US Marine Corps shortly after World War II at the age of 18.He would proudly serve for five years until his discharge as a Sergeant.
After turning down a chance to be a fireman like his father Jimmy used his skills as an electrician to work for Long Island Lighting Company and later he worked on what is the current Madison Square Garden.  He began a long career as an Amusement Games operator in the1960s and eventually would move his family to Seaside Heights and devote all his energy to the boardwalk business.  It was the perfect place for him as he loved the ocean and beach, having been a lifeguard when he was younger in Atlantic Beach.

He began a long relationship with the Seaside Heights Beach Patrol and often could be found in lifeguard headquarters with the Boyd Brothers solving the problems of the world.  A boardwalk fixture he was truly invested in the town and helped establish a surfing contest which drew some of the biggest names in the sport before moving south in search of better waves after just a couple of years.

Bad summers took their toll and he left the boardwalk more than 20 years ago and then had a pretty good run working at the Seaside Park Service Center before failing health forced him into retirement.  His “golden years” were not all that golden but he rarely if ever complained and he treasured his family and friends and he had a joke for just about every occasion. He lived to see his three children grow up and raise their own families and stuck around long enough to watch two grandchildren graduate from his beloved Penn State University.

Last Wednesday just four days after we were told he had cancer and only 24 hours after he entered into hospice care my father died at the age of 86.  I take comfort into knowing he did not suffer too much at the end but would have loved to have had just a bit more time to say goodbye.His family and friends will get to say their final goodbyes on Thursday at the Timothy E. Ryan Home for Funerals on St. Catherine Boulevard in Toms River. 

Meanwhile there’s a bunch of Irish guys from Rockaway Beach...US Marines, lifeguards, Penn Staters and characters from Seaside Heights waiting for him. Don’t worry, he’s on his way.  Just stopped off to pick up some cigars and Jack Daniels for the trip.