On the loss of a sibling.

I wasn’t expecting my older brother to leave, June 2023, with so much hope yet on the table for a prolonged recovery. As May trailed off, after a week of things speeding up and worsening at a surprising rate, he left us. It was good to be there and say goodbye. It was good to see him fade from life at home, amid whispered prayer. I’d continued to write through lock down and through this year of loss. I was asked by the family to write my brother’s obituary, and also to represent his family (there are now just three of us! My mom and younger sister, in addition to his wife and children we are six).

I miss my brother. I thought he’d ride much farther.

A Few Words on My Brother, the Reader
by A. E. Weisgerber

Good afternoon. My name is Anne Weisgerber, and I am one of William Liggett’s two sisters. I was asked by Janet to offer some brief remarks about my brother Bill. His obituary highlighted many of his life’s experiences, so I thought I’d focus on sharing something about my brother you don’t necessarily know. My brother was a reader.

Bill’s love of reading books was natural and pragmatic. He read a lot, always with the purpose for expanding his knowledge and improving life. I believe, as might a few of our fellow travelers who spent a bit of childhood in the 1970s, that our love of reading was spurred by a supermarket subscription to the Funk & Wagnall’s Encyclopedia. The books were maroon with gilt lettering. Our mother picked up the main set at the A&P, and afterward an annual review arrived in the mail.

Maybe that’s why my brother, sister, and I enjoy reading. As adults, if Bill loaned me The Immortal Irishman: The Irish Revolutionary Who Became an American Hero, I’d return it with a copy of Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland. If Cathy finished the latest Vince Flynn, Bill would trade with the newest Stuart Woods. There were always books going back and forth between us, and books provided an endless source of conversation at family gatherings.

Bill was a practical person. For him, reading was a means of exploring life’s mysteries, spiritual and otherwise. He was always looking for paths to a good and happy life. For instance, Bill felt that living in a place meant understanding its roots, and the basic tenets of the forefathers who originally settled the land. Along those lines, he loved Chester New Jersey: A Scrapbook of History by Frances Greenidge.

On the topic of Chester, Bill especially enjoyed reading: The American Porch: An Informal History of an Informal Place by Michael Dolan. My brother read this book before adding a beautiful porch and gazebo to his home, to better understand the architecture and reasoning inherent in porches. He was delighted to find the porch wasn’t simply an old-fashioned way to beat the heat, but was an early communication device, and it certainly telegraphed a sociable gathering spot for his family and neighbors on Hillside Road.

And that connection between reading and doing was also evident by his love for Shop Class as Soul Craft by Matthew Crawford. Bill called it a great read on cautions against being sucked into the hamster wheel of life. “Human excellence at its best.”

Anyone who knew Bill as a co-worker, a manager, or a beloved boss, might like to know he loved reading The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement by Dr. E.M. Goldratt. Bill called it a business book that is also a good life book. It teaches how to identify hurdles and overcome them.

More practical reading recommendations from Bill include: Oh My Aching Back by Dr. Leon Root. Bill’s copy is dog eared and he credits it, and its advice for simple, non-surgical exercises and habits, with saving his life from pain. Another often-referenced book of Bill’s was A Man, a Can and a Grill: 50 No-Sweat Meals You Can Fire Up Fast by David Joachim. Bill said this cookbook was full of “Good stuff we all love.”

I wonder if he was thinking of Ray Shoemaker and Bill Beaman when he read A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. He loved this buddy story: friends, each a little older and more out of shape than they’d like, embark on the Appalachian trail one summer.

Finally, Bill often recommended The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom. I hope that our beloved and legendary Uncle Walter is there and helping explain the meaning of life to Bill right now. I hope they both have ringside seats in the clouds.

Bill admired stories of integrity, determination, and loyalty. I hope all in attendance here, including one or two live-streaming from Japan, cherish any memories of our brother. It was a privilege to sit vigil as the mystery of Bill’s final hour drew near, along with Janet, Megan, Matthew, my mother Barbara, sister Catherine, and Matt’s partner Courtney. His last gift to us all was one last opportunity to read: to read the room, and see beauty, show kindness, and treat him the way we hope to be treated in our final hour in this world: with respect and love in a way that reflects Christ.

I hope some of the books I’ve mentioned enhance your appreciation of our brother. If you do read and enjoy them, I hope you share your thoughts with others as Bill would have: standing in a kitchen, seated at a dining table, outdoors in the shade near the barbecue.

In the family of God we are all brothers and sisters. God especially blessed Cathy and me with Bill, who proved himself courageous, resilient, and loving all the way to the end. One of the greatest blessings Bill brought to our family is our sister Janet.

Oogy wawa, brother. Until we meet again, I say fare well. May the good Lord hold us all in the palm of his hand.