93-Year-Old Expat Living Alone in Thailand… Still Doing Everything Himself

Bill, at 93, has lived in Thailand since 1967. Before that, he was a US Army Green Beret, serving in Vietnam and as an instructor for eight years after four years in the Navy. In the 1960s, the US Army wanted him to go to Turkey, so he attended the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, for a year to study Turkish. During this time, he also secretly studied Thai, which he already spoke, with the help of Thai instructors, improving his speaking and writing skills. After the Turkish language school, Bill left the army and returned to Thailand. He was hired by an engineer from Caltex, a major oil company, to be a foreman for building a grease plant in Bangkok. He was skilled with an in PC and could create AutoCAD drawings. He worked for the engineer, who later gave him his daughter's car from 1991 as partial payment. This car, a 1991 model, was the last one imported from Japan and is still driven by Bill, having accumulated over 463,000 kilometers. Upon returning to Thailand, Bill sought a resident visa. Having a diplomatic passport as a Green Beret, he approached Thai immigration. His ability to speak Thai impressed the officials, who were eager to help him. Although he expected to pay "tea money" (bribes), officials refused, saying he was a "good guy." His resident visa ultimately cost him only 7,500 baht for paperwork and stamps. He was congratulated by everyone when he picked it up, and a person he had paid commission to even returned half his money. Bill attributes this success to being in the right place, keeping his mouth shut, and being an "obedient person." Bill describes Pattaya in those early days as having dirt roads, with only two hotels: the Nepal and the Pattaya Hotel, owned by an old Thai lady named Joan Sawat, with whom he became friends. Pattaya Beach had horses for rides, and the beach itself was mostly palm trees and a Thai boat house used by the king. The population was small, likely not more than 800 people. With nothing in Pattaya, Bill opened a dive shop in Naklura with his Thai girlfriend, who opened a coffee shop. He acquired dive gear by taking military diving jobs, leveraging his connections with Thai dive personnel in Sahib, including Commander Udom, who loaned him equipment. His dive shop expanded and moved to the beach, where the building still stands today. He taught scuba diving for PADI and became well-known for his diving expertise, also undertaking commercial dive contracts. Bill had one wife in Thailand, named Pin, and they had a daughter nicknamed Cherry. Cherry now has her own family with two children. Bill eventually let Pin go because she was young and had many problems, taking sole responsibility for raising their daughter. He put Cherry through a Catholic convent school in Shira. Initially, Bill rented a room in Nakura. In 2002, he bought a home in Echimon on Soy Cult. Despite being here legally with a job and references, the home had to be registered in his Thai wife's name as it was illegal for foreigners to own property directly. He paid off the home in 10 years. When his wife sold it, she spoiled the deal, taking everything but paying off his 300,000 baht brain cancer surgery debt and giving him 200,000 baht. At 93, Bill is self-sufficient. His brother's wife cleans his house once a week, but otherwise, he manages everything himself, including shopping, cooking, and driving his car or motorcycle. He has had major surgeries but remains active. Recently, a blood test showed a rising cancer marker, prompting further CT scans, though he refuses more surgery, preferring radiation or medication. Bill's friends are all gone, but his sister Dorothy Fay, also in her 90s, lives in Colorado. He recently reconnected with his first girlfriend, Peggy Gonzalez, whom he left in 1962. Peggy, now 85, is still married with a family but still expresses love for Bill. He has no desire to return to the US, as there's nothing there for him except his sister and Peggy, who has her own life. Bill smoked a pack a day from age 17 to 67. He quit cold turkey in 2002 after contracting SARS-CoV-1 during a trip to the US. He believes quitting smoking is why he is still alive and convinced many friends to do the same. He still has one shot of 25-year-old Sang Similan Thai whiskey every day at 6 PM, which he mixes with a soft drink while on his computer. His friend, a liquor store owner, bought all the remaining stock of this discontinued whiskey from Sango in Bangkok and has been supplying Bill for over 15 years. Social life, according to Bill, is crucial for longevity. He misses the close-knit community he had in his old house but finds similar joy with neighborhood children who gather and play near his current home. He buys them ice cream, and their noise brings him joy. The most important lesson Bill has learned is to control one's temper, believing it leads to greater success. He finds comfort in his own company and does not experience loneliness. Bill became a Buddhist after studying Catholicism, Lutheranism, and Baptism. While in Thailand with the Green Berets, he befriended a well-educated Buddhist monk through his ex-wife. He was drawn to Buddhism's common-sense approach of simply being a good person. Before marrying his Thai wife, he entered monkhood for a period, sponsored by the Buddhist monk, which is a common practice for Thai men to gain guidance before starting their adult lives. He enjoyed the experience but does not believe in being reborn after death, viewing his temple's teachings as practical common sense. Bill aims to live until 95 without pain. His father lived to 91. He reflects on the end of life, hoping it will be like falling into a deep sleep, peaceful and unaware. He has no regrets, having traveled the world and lived a full life.