William R. Hatch

Born on July 25, 1944, in Glen Cove Hospital, Dad was the only child of Phyllis (DeJesu) and William Bieler Hatch. Spending much of his childhood residing in Rockville Center and Oyster Bay, Dad eventually settled with his family in Locust Valley. Affectionately referred to as a bit of a clown by his classmates, Dad's sense of humor knew no boundaries. As one old high school wrestling buddy mentioned on Dad's tribute page, "Laughing with Billy was like a wrestling match. You feel like you are holding your sides while lying on a mat". This couldn't be a truer statement and his wit and intellect was obvious to anyone who was near him.
Billy met our mom at Locust Valley High School. Together since they were 14, Carol was the love of his life. Dad enlisted in the Army at 18 years old and was sent to Kaiserslauten Army base in Germany, but they stayed together throughout his service. In going through my Dad's Army memories, we came across 100's of letters my parents exchanged during this time. The letters gave us an unbelievably detailed account of their early life together. The main thing that came through in those letters was the intense love they had for each other. It was evident about how difficult it was for them to be apart. We were able to read about the plans they made for their engagement and marriage and even Mom's first pregnancy with Sharon. After marrying at St. Patrick's Church in 1964, Dad had to head back to Germany and Sharon was born 10 months later. Lisa was born after Dad returned from Germany, in 1968 and he was very proud to be the father of 2 daughters.
Dad was a hard worker and worked multiple jobs to provide for his family. When he wasn't working, he would take us on outings to Jones Beach or he would simply relax at home. He LOVED television and would often be found in his favorite chair, watching the news or some historical documentary. Dad also loved riding his motorcycle as a young man and he would give us rides on his bike. He would take road trips with my mom and sometimes travel by motorcycle with my Cousin Craig, who he loved like a brother. He and my mom even went on a camping trip with Craig and his wife, Susan who he also loved like a sister. The camping trip was a washout with lots of rain, but, of course, there were funny stories afterwards. Dad was a free spirit in every sense of the word. He even had a secret desire to be a race car driver when he was younger.
Dad and Mom both gave us our love and appreciation for all different kinds of music, but my Dad's favorite songs were doo-wops from the 50's. He played this music for us when we were growing up and even played it for Amy and Chris years later. He had a really good voice and we remember him and my mom always trying to harmonize to the oldies or dancing in the living room when we were growing up. My Dad also had a love of patriotic music and enjoyed listening to John Phillip Sousa marches and military hymns. Both he and my mom also taught us to love and respect animals. As children, we had several bull mastiffs and they were all given colorful names by my Dad: Admiral, Rommel and Bubba were his buddies and he also became buddies with all of our fur babies. When Dad first visited Texas, he went with Sharon to pick up donkeys from a donkey-rescue farm so they could have a better life with her. He loved all of her critters but had a particular fondness for her dog, Chulo, nicknaming him the nerve-ending and Midge, nicknaming her the Fawn. Nan was his favorite cat of Sharon's and he would let her stay in his lap, despite his allergies. He adored Stewie, Lisa's dog, and would spend hours scratching him when he would go over to Lisa and Richie's. Stewie would see his car pull up out of the bedroom window and would tear down the stairs, greeting him at the door barking like a maniac. Dad would calm him down, sit in his favorite chair in Lisa's kitchen, while Stewie burrowed his head in his lap. Stewie would then turn around, expecting Dad to scratch his butt and that is what he would do, tirelessly.
A man dedicated to service, Billy came home from the Army, worked for a brief time at Grumman but decided to attend the Nassau County Police Academy. Well-respected and loved by his colleagues, Dad retired as a Nassau County Detective after a 33-year career. He made many friends in the department, some who are no longer with us but some who are here today. He earned the nickname, Captain Flag, by his buddies because he had a habit of waving his arms around when he was riled up about something. His partners loved him and he loved every one of his partners as family. These are people that Sharon and I will always consider to be family. Nothing made Dad happier than seeing his children and grandchildren enjoy life the way he did when he was young. He always had his grandchildren laughing and they worshipped the ground on which he walked. They could do no wrong and he loved and spoiled them as only a grandfather can do. He was extremely proud of them and would brag about them to anyone who would listen. He had a special bond and relationship with them that I know they will always cherish and hold close to their hearts. Both Amy and Chris had their frequent lunches and shopping excursions with their Pop Pop. He always made them feel special and loved. Dad never forgot a birthday, special occasion or milestone and made sure he was present for every important event, even after Mom's death. Even though it was difficult, he kept going for all of our benefit. He absolutely loved his son-in-laws and looked at them both as his sons. Rich would call Dad daily on his walks with Stewie and chat for an hour. Dad loved nothing more than having only Rich over to his house to fix something and then they would get takeout and eat together. Chris would open up his home to Dad when he went to Texas, giving him his own wing. They had lots of commonality as ex-military and would have lively debates about anything and everything there was to debate about. Dad loved his time in Texas with Chris and Sharon. He took great pride in us both and the lives we created for ourselves. He always made sure he was there for us, through tough and good times. He never judged and always made sure we could come to him with anything. His love was unconditional for us and our families. One extremely funny story that comes to mind and shows the essence of my Dad happened during a trip to visit Sharon in Texas. Dad, Rich, Christian, Amy and I went to visit Chris, Sharon and Caleb when they first made the big move to Wimberley. For a fun outing for the kids, we all took a trip to a drive-through safari. Anybody who knows anything about my Dad, knew that he was fanatical about the condition of his car. Since we needed two cars for the outing, we decided to use his car. As we were driving through the safari, Sharon thought it would be a good idea to beckon some of the animals over to the car to eat a snack. As you can well imagine, there were animals sticking their heads through the windows, drooling down the sides of Dad's car. Dad was like a cartoon and flipped out animatedly, as only Dad could do. I have never heard my son laugh as hard as that day. We still laugh about his antics that day and each day that we were with him. Even though he only had a high school diploma, Dad was a human encyclopedia and could spar with even the sharpest, college-educated individual\. If you wanted to chat about anything at all, he was your guy. From quantum physics to football, Dad was an amazing conversationalist. He had a great ability to find common ground with anyone. An avid reader, Dad would devour books and could rattle off even the most mundane facts about anything you could think of. We always joked about how he should have gone on jeopardy.
Even though Dad had a really tough childhood, he managed to turn things around for himself through the military, his career and his relationship with my Mom. A sharp-witted, funny, loving husband, father and grandfather, my Dad was a gentleman, a true, old-school American patriot and one-of-a-kind. What gives us both solace is the fact that he is with my Mom, smiling down on us, feeling healthy and peaceful, knowing they did a good job. We know we will all be together again but will miss him terribly. RIP Dad ... we love you. Sharon and Lisa XOXOXOXO