| Chapter Fifteen: My brother, Uncle Billy
William Seaman (Uncle Billy) was born on May 12th, 1931 at Monmouth Medical. He was a VERY difficult birth for my mother as he was a breech birth. He came out BOTTON first. The doctors couldn't get him to breath, so they assumed he was dead and had the nurse put him to one side and cover him with a receiving blanket, while they collected the after-birth and cleaned my mother up. As the nurse was moving things around she thought she saw the blanket move that was covering Billy. She took it off and discovered he was alive and breathing, but was a blue baby. They immediately put him on an incubator to get air. Some say that because he went without oxygen for who knows how long, it damaged his brain. However, I don't agree with that at all because my grandmother on my father’s side had a brother just like Billy. The defected gene seemed to appear in every other generation. If Billy had been born today they could have thought him how to read and write. Even if they had done something when he was 10 years old they could have thought him to read and write. When my mother died he was evaluated and my father was told that at 16 he had the mind of an 8 year old. He was the cutest little thing you would ever want to see. He did very poorly in school so he was put in the special class that was mainly for kids who were problem children or wouldn’t or couldn't take instructions and were hard to manage. The kids weren't really graded and it just seemed like a place to pass the time of day. He only had one friend named Russell Lynch, who lived around the corner. Billy was always sick as a child and the doctors told my mother that they didn't think he would live to be 20 years old. BOY, DID HE FOOL THEM! When he was 2 years old my father left home and eventually divorced my mother. It broke her heart. He neglected to provide extra money for Billy's medications. He gave my mother $10.00 a week support for him (his meds cost more than that). They had just built a new house at 42 Dewey Street in Long Branch, which my mother lost in the divorce. The Seaman's had a lot of clout in town and lots of money to buy off anyone they chose. My father got custody of me, only because my mother didn't have the money to fight him in court. I guess it was just as well, because Billy was so sick and she had her hands full with him. I was 12 years old when my mother met POP-POP Larry at a New Years Eve party. She didn't like him at first. They went together for 4 years before they got married on January 16th, 1943. I was just about to turn 16 the following month. I was her maid of honor, but I don't remember Billy being there. Aunt Hazel’s husband (another Uncle Billy) married them. I think Billy was at Kate Van Brunt’s house. She and her husband took care of what then was the American Legion Headquarters. Today it is Hoffman's Funeral home on the corner of Dudley and Broadway. Kate had a son around Billy's age and he liked to go there. My mother and Pop-pop moved into an apartment on Hampton Avenue. One time Billy lit a match and set fire to the toilet seat. He knew enough to put water on it but not until the whole seat went up in flames. It was the only time I ever saw Larry hit Billy (and it was only a crack on his behind which did him good). My mother just couldn't do it and he really needed to know that he couldn't and shouldn't do things like that. He always looked forward to my stopping by (which was often as it was right behind my grandmother’s house). I ALWAYS took him something. A little toy or candy or whatever I had. Billy had lack of iron and was always anemic. He went EVERYWHERE with Mom and Larry. One birthday my father asked me to take a BIRTHDAY check over to Billy. I did and when I saw it was only for $10.00 (I GOT $25.00) I took it back, tore it up like confetti and marched into my father’s office. I didn't know that at the time he had a STATE Senator in there and I didn't much care! I told him how DARE you give him only $10.00 when I got $25.00 and threw the confetti check up in the air and walked out. The next day he wrote me a check for $25.00 for Billy and I took it over. My mother was pleased. On the day my mother died (Jan 6,1947) Billy was at Van Brunt’s house for the weekend and had stayed on Monday too. I dreaded having to tell him she had died; Larry couldn't do it so I did. He never cried, not one drop all through the wake and services. The Psychiatrist told us later that he was living in his own world and not to be alarmed. Later, when Cyril and I were engaged then and we took Billy with us whenever we went out. My father put him in Vineland training school the year I had Susie. He was there one year and then transferred to The State School in New Lisbon at $250.00 per week. At Vineland to $50.00 per MONTH at the State school. He was there two years. When we went to see him it was a heart breaker to leave him there. The last time I went down to bring him home for Christmas I never took him back. My father gave us $25.00 per week room and board, which made Cyril happy). I think he was in Vineland in 1948 and in the State school in 1949 and part of 1950.He learned NOTHING in Vineland (which was suppose to be the best school in the east). They fed them sour oatmeal twice a say sometimes. At the State School at New Lisbon he was lucky to get a housemother that really took to him. She taught him how to darn on a sewing machine, he was her pet and she cried when we took him out of school and home As well as I sewed ...I could NEVER do that. He lived in a cottage that had men and boys (of ALL ages) They were put in cottages according to their mental abilities Some were 65 years old/ He was18 hen I think When my grandmother died Billy went to live with my grandfather on Broadway. They went to California to see his brother (Aunt Hazel’s father). They got to see the Rose Bowl parade, and do other things too. It was a nice trip for him, and outside of going to Easton to visit our other grandparents he had never been outside of New Jersey. Later in his life now… Billy has always been a loner. He's happy living in Rauman towers. Everyone there likes him and always ask me about him when I go down. He's been in poor health since 2001. He had a heart attack then and kidney failure. He started dialysis in February, of that year. He is now in final stages of kidney failure. He has had 24 operations in the past 4 1/2 years and NEVER complains. Most of his operations have been to put shunts in him for dialysis treatments. He has been cut from one end to the other. His immune system is at a very low level and he gets an infection EVERY time he's operated on, BUT NEVER COMPLAINS. Along with these problems, he also has arthritis all thru his body. On Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays when he's not in the hospital or recovering in a nursing home he enjoys going to Millers luncheonette for breakfast. He takes taxis EVERYWHERE. Since last July he has enjoyed the scooter Sally bought him. He's out along the boardwalk taking in all the new construction that’s going on. He doesn't miss a trick. He rides down to West End and (when I found out about this I put my foot down) he even ventured over to see the new High School being built. I told him to stay off Bath Ave! He's so small that cars can't see him on the scooter and I'm afraid he'll get hit. He gets mad BUT he does listen. Billy is the ONLY person I have EVER known who never knocks anyone. I have NEVER heard him say an un kind word about ANYONE. He's VERY smart and has more common sense than a lot of people I know. He's handy (or was until the past few months). He could repair almost anything. When he was working at Proctors he used to go to New York every Saturday, until he got mugged and robbed up there one time. He had no money to get home, but the bus driver knew him and took him home without a ticket (that was in his stolen wallet). Another time he was riding his bike back to his 5th Avenue apartment when several Puerto Ricans threw rocks at him and knocked him off his bike, knocking him out. A local policeman found him in the street and took him to the hospital. How can people be so mean and rotten? He wasn't bothering anyone, just riding home. Billy has been a survivor. He's beaten his handicap and has lived 50 years longer than anyone ever thought he would. He's thoughtful, kind and gets along with everyone. The tenants where he lives ALL love him. Billy has ALWAYS been generous. There have been Christmas's that with out his help there would have been none. Christmas is his favorite holiday and has always gone all out to buy what every wanted. As sick as he has been he STILL put his tree up again this year even though no one but me went to see it. His favorite Christmas decoration is the Church Susie gave him a few years ago. He would like for Sally to have it when he departs this world. He knows he doesn't have much time left on this earth. We talk about it every now and then. Sometimes I think he'll be happy when his day comes. No more Dialysis! He's had soooo much against him in this world but like the energizer bunny, he just takes a licking and goes on ticking. I LOVE HIM!! ... NEXT |
| T h e L o v e l y L o i s S t o r y A Biography of Lois Eleanor White |
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