William Edward O'Bryan, age 27, of 3009 S.E. 19th Street, Des Moines, Iowa, was born in September of 1971 and died on Tuesday, March 16, 1999. Services were held at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday at Hamilton's Funeral Home. Burial was at the Laurel Hill Cemetery. Bill O'Bryan had lived in Iowa all of his life, in Dexter, Perry, and Des Moines. He is survived by a son, Eric, and his mother, Karen O'Bryan, both of Des Moines; two brothers, Richard of Oklahoma, and David of Des Moines; a sister, Kelley O'Bryan of Wildomar, California; his grandmother, Audrey Irwin of Des Moines; and his lady love, April Frahm of Des Moines.
I received a phone call from his sister, Kelley, the day after Billy's death. At that point in time, nobody knew what had caused his death. He had been in a fight, but he was not believed to have sustained any fatal blows or injuries from the fight at all. Billy's death was a shock. He was one of the most alive people I ever met in my life. I was a foster-mother to his sister, Kelley, many years ago when she was a teenager. Over the years, we kept in close touch. Her family became my family also. I babysat for Billy and David when Billy was only 7 or 8 years old and David was 5 or so. As they grew older, both boys babysat my own children. I made the drive to Iowa for Billy's funeral on Friday and returned home on Sunday.
I watched his family and friends at the funeral home, at the cemetery. All agreed, Billy was so alive and vibrant, it was hard to believe he was gone. I wondered aloud to April if people who live so fully don't die young because they get through quicker. She thought I might be right. April and Billy had been together for over 8 years.
Together, they had a son named Eric, born in 1992. Eric was Dad's "best Bud".
Billy had an older brother named Rick.
He had a niece, Shannon, by his brother Rick.
He had two nephews by his sister, Kelley, Chad, born in 1981 and Ricky, born in
1992, both shown below. He also had a nephew named Michael (also born in 1992) by his brother,
David.
The newspaper article said that the coroner stated the Billy had died from injuries received in the fight. What it didn't state was why. During the fight, a kick to his spleen caused his spleen to rupture. However, under normal circumstances, that would not have happened. The coroner told Billy's family that Billy had a very advanced and chronic case of what was assumed to be some form of sarcoidosis. It was felt that this was a condition he had for a long time before his death. While Russell Ore was charged with involuntary manslaughter, he was later found Not Guilty.
Sarcoidosis is defined as: "A disease of unknown etiology characterized by widespead granulomatous lesions that may affect any organ or tissues of the body. The liver is frequently affected, as are the skin, lungs, lymph nodes, spleen, eyes, and small bones of the hands and feet", according to Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary. There are several forms of sarcoidosis, but most of them are chronic. All can be fatal. One form of sarcoidosis is acute, which means it comes on suddenly. That is the only form of sarcoidosis which usually has a spontaneous remission.
Billy had massively swollen lymph nodes throughout his body. His spleen was enlarged 20-30 times its normal size. Had it not been for this condition, he would not have died from a blow to his spleen. April questioned the coroner as to, if Billy had gone in and had his spleen removed a week before the fight, for example, would that have saved his life? The coroner stated that he did not feel Billy would have survived such a surgery. He had lately had breathing problems and dizzy spells. He refused to go and see a doctor. Now, he can't. He leaves behind many loved ones, family, and friends who will miss him.
Billy loved his family, April, his son, and his friends. He liked to party once in a while. He loved to visit with his friends and hang out. He loved all sports, basketball, baseball, football. He was an avid Hawkeyes fan. He had a love for classic cars, and he owned a Chevrolet Impala which he had lovingly restored himself. Billy was a great guy, full of life, always enthusiastic and cheerful. He always had a smile, a joke, or a laugh for everybody. His son, Eric, was his Best Bud. They spent a lot of time together, played, romped, wrestled, and loved each other very much. Everyone will miss Billy a lot.
I have had it in my mind that I would like to create several memorial pages, but I had just not gotten around to it. I spoke to Kelley and told her I would like to create one for Billy first. They gave me permission and felt it was a wonderful idea. They are supposed to be sending me some more pictures, as some of mine are pretty out of date. I guess Billy's death spurred me into doing something I had put off for a while. Because of that, his page is the first to go up. Thanks, Bill. I was glad to have known you and been considered a friend, an extra Mom, and even a sister to you. I will miss you, too.
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