Prince Of Peace Called Home Billy Cullhane On Easter Sunday

Press release from Dennis Sevano:

The Passing Of Our Colorful Bill

Prince of Peace called Billy Culhane home on Easter Sunday, a telling sign of
his rite of passage. He was our Cabinet minister, our crowning point. All parts of
Hoboken in the late 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s had a younger unofficial chairperson in
each ward. Bill was the one Yellow Flats central force with a controlled ego and a
grounded sense of self. He had a natural gift of reaching back retelling the earlier
years with a clarity and fidelity.

We were building a winter igloo after a torrid blizzard near Maxwell House
in the late 50’s. The snow fortress had four rooms and Bill insisted we do a fifth
den type -of nook-it was done! He could be stubborn, yet right!

Spalding fastball games at Bethlehem Steel, the Alley, the YMCA, his second
lodging with its cradle of adventures, and of course, Camp Tamaqua, Hoboken’s Y
Camp in Bear Mountain, Rockland County, New York. It was here where Billy
discovered and rapidly grew with his Big Brother bonding skills. Case in point, one
of our young campers was suffering from an acute case of asthma and home
sickness and was thinking about returning to the Alley flats. The families knew
each other and Bill who suffered from his own bouts of bronchitis sat with the
boy comforting his medical and emotional fears. His mature instinct and
emotional intelligence took over.

The young camper would eventually receive his Ph.D from Columbia
University, but not before he met a young girl from Long Island who became his
significant other, all the products of Culhane’s intervention. Billy had a way of
figuring out a way to broaden a number of available lanes in the name of
enduring friendships.

The Ox, his nick name allegedly grew from a few teachers at Wallace
Elementary School. His sporting abilities were way above average in all major
physical activities from standout Little League player, captain of HHS baseball
squad, a youth baseball coach (who could forget the memorable trip to Russia
with the Sandy Koufax Champs) softball tournaments, ping pong skills, pinball
wizard, cardplaying master, especially pinocle in college, pool shooting hot shot
so much his dad, a Lieutenant in the Hoboken police force forbade him from bringing his hidden pool stick to Duke’s or Oliveri’s Pool Hall. ”Lefty” as many called him could settle any local dispute as a fair no-nonsense mediator. Billy inherited a number of Lieutenant John’s traits.

He introduced this friend to Little League baseball (the old field) in the late
50’s. Securing a tryout for the powerhouse PAL coach Joe Timothy, Bill saw the
growing skillset in the alley and provided his dad’s “Lefty” first baseball glove for
old fashion audition.

Yours truly made the team but lost the twenty-five dollar gorgeous glove at
Veteran’s field at a PAL practice session. In a state of sheer fear, my family
wanted to repay for the glove, yet the Culhanes gracefully declined with William’s
mother Muriel citing, ‘He’s good but needs a few milkshakes from Ray’s.”

The stories could continue forever as Billy could Irish them up, working on
Wall Street for 45 years, telling legendary tales of the town’s history in his
signature Vintage Volkswagon Van. Deborah, his wife, the moor of the family,
Chris, Erin, six grandchildren, a 6 th generation. Perhaps it was fitting we
reconnected over the past three years, and knowing quite clearly his, “Death ends
a life, but not a relationship.” Until we meet again with the hope of the lost glove
in hand.

Dennis Sevano

This press release was produced by the Dennis Sevano. The views expressed here are the author’s own.