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| The Pulitzer Prize-Winning Weekly Newspaper |
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| Ronnie Wilhelm, 1950—2009 |
Terry Donohue
2009-08-06 |
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When Ronnie Wilhelm learned of his diagnosis, he telephoned his good friend, Bobby Hefflefinger. “He called me on a Saturday and said, ‘I got a brain tumor’ and I laughed, ‘Like the one I have?’—which was my code for having a hangover…‘Ah, no, Bobby, this is a real one,’” Bobby said.
Ronnie Wilhelm, a man’s man, woman’s man, bon vivant, and devoted brother, father, uncle and friend, passed away at his Bolinas home on July 23 after a year-long battle with brain cancer. His family and friends surrounded him.
“Nobody lived life bigger than my brother,” his sister, Terry Camiccia, said. “His motto was sempre duro!”
Born on November 20, 1950 Ronnie lived most of his life in Bolinas. When he was four years old, he and his sister arrived with their mother, Alice, to live with their grandpa, Smiley Bianchini, who owned Smiley’s Saloon. At the time, Smiley’s was both a bait shop and a bar, and the family lived upstairs.
Ronnie and his sister grew up riding their bicycles through town, fishing and hanging out at the beach. They were inseparable. “I have either lived with or right next door to my brother my whole life,” Terry said. “All my boyfriends became Ronnie’s good friends…”
Her elementary school boyfriend, Pat O’Brien, was a friend of Ronnie’s until the end. “You couldn’t be with Ronnie and not be laughing,” Pat said. “There is a very special spot in heaven—I think they have to have an oversized condo up there for Ronnie.”
Allan Sproul, a San Anselmo kid who came out to Bolinas during summers, met Ronnie when they were five or six years old. “We looked forward to all opening days: baseball, basketball, football, hunting seasons, fishing seasons—all of them were always circled on our calendars. We went through two wives each and ended up together,” Allen said.
In 1964, the Fontan Family opened Scowley’s restaurant across the street from Smiley’s. A bit older than Ronnie, Randy Fontan and his brothers schooled 13-year-old Ronnie in the art of throwing a good party and scraping through mischief. “He was a true outdoorsman, craftsman and a loving character, but don’t get me wrong, he was no angel,” Randy said.
Ronnie went to Bolinas School and graduated from Sir Francis Drake High School. While attending College of Marin, his talent for art surfaced and he became interested in glass blowing, ceramics, sculpture and furniture making. “When I was interested in leather work, Ronnie decided to make his own shoes,” Terry said. “He cut a pattern, used thick leather to create the lace-ups and lined the boots with rabbit fur. And he wore those shoes!”
Ronnie eventually made a career of building beautiful houses and was know for his finish work. He moved into a house on Birch Road in 1970 and built his sister’s home on the lot next door. At the time, a water meter cost about $250, so they were both to secure their places in the town to call home.
Besides Terry’s house, Ronnie built many other houses in Bolinas, Inverness, Nicasio and Stinson Beach. His sculptural talents were sought after by homeowners who appreciated his intricate cuts, graceful arches and curves.
But his career was always secondary to having a great time—it was a way to fund his passions. He was an avid traveler and visited the Pacific Northwest, Hawaii and Mexico. Cabo San Lucas was his yearly haunt for over 30 years, which he enjoyed with his dear friend, Reno Consultors.
Ronnie did a huge remodel for Reno in Mill Valley. “About three quarters of my home was built by Ronnie,” Reno said. “I felt inferior for most of my life because I knew Ronnie for 40 years and he was the brightest star. It was wine, women, song and food for Ronnie. The only time he was mad was when he was hungry.”
Ronnie was also known for the Tuscan-style cooking he learned from his Grandpa Smiley, whose family came from Luca, Italy. He cooked for friends, duck clubs and the Rod and Boat Club.
When Ralph Camiccia married Terry 32 years ago, Ronnie and Ralph became brothers. “Ronnie was good to me, to Terry’s girls, and to my son, Daniel,” Ralph said. “I was a lot more reserved than he was, but would get me going. He took me to ball games, we played golf together and he even brought me on hunting trips. Often he and I worked side by side on home projects.”
Bobby remembered when Ronnie learned to fish for salmon on his new boat. “We went out tethered to a mother ship. When it came time to go back to shore, a pea soup fog had set in. The captain said, ‘Take a compass reading of 358 degrees.’ Ronnie looked at his compass for awhile and then said, ‘My compass doesn’t go that high!’ The captain sighed, ‘Just turn around.’ And we slept out at sea until the fog cleared.”
Ronnie had a very strong support team when he was diagnosed with cancer. A steady stream of friends and old flames came to visit and party with him until the end. His 19-year-old daughter, Evie, was his rock, taking a year off from college to be with him.
“I watched him enjoy his life,” she said. “He always let me know that having friends and family and making the most of life were the most important things in life.”
When Ronnie became bedridden, communication was increasingly difficult. One day, Ronnie seemed worried about something. It was just he and Evie, alone, together.
“Evie, I don’t know which way to go…”
“You mean to heaven or hell?” Evie asked.
He nodded.
“Well, I would try heaven first,” she said.
“I think that if I go today or tomorrow, they will take me. I’m worried that if I am late they won’t take me.”
“Dad, you’ve always been late. You’ve been a good dad, a good friend, and you’ve loved your life. Any god who didn’t respect that isn’t worth being around.”
“Well, I better get rolling…” he said.
Ronnie died a couple days later.
“He was a little late,” Evie said, her eyes sparkling.
Ronnie is survived by his daughter, Evie Wilhelm, and his sister, Terry Camiccia, and her husband, Ralph, of Bolinas; his nieces , Kylee Kuhn and Rachelle Tuescher; his great nieces and nephews Weston, Scarlett, Siena, and Sebastian; his aunt, Dottie; his cousin, Sandie Piro; and numerous other aunts and cousins. He is preceded in death by his mother, Alice Wilhelm Bianchini, and his father, Nelson Wilhelm. Donations can be made in his name to California Waterfowl Association or Hospice by the Bay.
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