Bill Diehl Obituary, Death – Sad Day. We lost a legend “Big Bill” Diehl. He was the very first regular customer that I ever had, the person who bought the very first bottle of white burgundy that I ever sold, and the individual who gave me the very first sizeable tip that I ever received. All of these things happened when I first started working as a waiter. Because he was so ridiculously nice, the wait staff at the restaurants where he ate were frequently the beneficiaries of his generosity in the form of parties. He would throw these parties for them quite frequently.
During these get-togethers, he would fling open the doors to the wine cellar and tell everyone to help themselves to whatever they wanted from the stocked shelves. After giving me Grappa to knock me out and after I passed out, he may have placed a blow-up doll in my bed during my drinking days. This occurred when I was younger. It’s possible that this took place after he drugged me and knocked me out with Grappa. All of these factors, combined with his eventful life, contributed to his notoriety: he was a fierce litigator, possessed a brilliant legal mind, and lived a very eventful life.
I have a lot of gratitude toward his son Bill Diehl, his daughter Catherine Lane Diehl, and the rest of his family for the fact that they have bestowed upon me the gift of a friendship that will last for the rest of my life. I am so thankful for this friendship. Simply put, I am thankful that I was given the chance to participate in his life and in the brilliant light that was his existence. In other words, I am grateful that I was given this opportunity. Big Bill, you have my love. I would appreciate it if you could refrain from expressing condolences for my loss and instead just express gratitude for the chance to have been a part of his life instead.