Tribute to a special classmate from Emily Falk (Mulholland):

Some thoughts about my old friend: I met Bill Martin in Holdrum Elementary School. He was my first boyfriend! He lived in the north end of town, and would often walk down to my house on Cleveland. We would hang out and listen to 45's. We dated for a while in high school, but drifted apart. We both went on to marry and have children. About 3 years ago, he found out through our class website that we were both divorced. He contacted me and we had some great conversations reminiscing. We started chatting or texting every day. Finally, we came to the conclusion that we would like to see each other. The only question was, would he come to NJ, or would I make the trip to Florida. Around that same time, Bill started having health problems. He complained of fatigue, dizziness and feeling off balance, making it very difficult to walk. After seeing a few doctors, and having a bunch of tests, he was diagnosed with a brain tumor last September. While not malignant, the tumor was large, and wrapped around a major blood vessel. We spoke the night before his surgery. Sadly, it was the last time he was able to communicate. He kept getting complications, and never returned home. I will miss our chats... we always had something to discuss about the old days in River Vale. There is nothing quite like an old friend. He left this earth much too soon. While he shared a couple of photos with me, he was quite a private person, he did not want to put his picture on FB, etc. So, honoring his feelings, I will not share them. RIP , Bill. I will never forget you.

Emily Falk (Mulholland)

01/26/2017