RIP William "Billy" Tonnesen

Steve Tonnesen · Post by **Steve Tonnesen** » 1 Mar 2014 10:38 am

It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of William "Billy" Tonnesen.

He left us peacefully last Saturday, February 22 at his home in Buena Park, California.
Struggling with bladder cancer over the last several years he finally called it quits.

I know that he really enjoyed participating in your forum and many of you will miss him.
If any of you would like to attend his memorial/funeral it will be at the Veteran's Memorial Cemetery in Riverside, California at staging area #4 on Friday, March 14th at 10:45am.
He will be receiving full military honors.

His ashes will be interred at the memorial cemetery minus a small portion which will be scattered in the mountains behind my home in Carpinteria, California where he loved to come and visit.

My father was well respected in the country western swing era, playing the lap steel as well as the pedal steel. I know he would appreciate your attendance, as would I.

If any of you have any questions please feel free to call me at 805-684-1415 or email at stonnesen@newspress.com

Thank you
Steve Tonnesen
Eldest son

Jerry Hayes · Post by **Jerry Hayes** » 1 Mar 2014 11:47 am

Steve, I'm very sorry to hear this. I've known Billy for almost fifty years and have enjoyed his playing so much over the years. I got to pick with him the last time in Oct. of '05 while I was vacationing in SoCal. Billy was playing with Sammy Master's band then and I went to see them at a VFW Lodge and sat in for a set on Carl Walden's Stratocaster. I played with him some at the old Skylite Club in Compton... He was a great musician with a lot of talent and technique and a world of knowledge to share. He'll be missed. I can't attend his services as I'm in Virginia now but I'll be thinking of him and the family. I'm 6'4" tall and Billy was the only guy I ever picked with that was taller than me...... RIP Billy Tonneson, a real good 'un....JH in Va.

Steve Tonnesen · Post by **Steve Tonnesen** » 1 Mar 2014 12:18 pm

Thank you Jerry.
I know that dad is looking down with a smile and he cherished all the memories of playing with folks like you.
Yup, he was a tall one for sure, so many photos of him standing tall over his groups you could always tell who Billy was.

Take care, and thank you for the reply.

Mike Perlowin · Post by **Mike Perlowin** » 1 Mar 2014 12:43 pm

Sad news. Bill used to come to our annual steel jam every year.He never played, but always enjoyed listening to and talking us,. We will miss him when we meet in April.

Steve Tonnesen · Post by **Steve Tonnesen** » 1 Mar 2014 1:13 pm

Thank you Mike!
Dad was something special, I miss miss him dearly and he always talked so highly of the particpants of the forum.
It was a way he could still stay in touch with the art he truly loved.

bruce fischer · Post by **bruce fischer** » 1 Mar 2014 2:27 pm

so sorry to hear this.
our prayers to all his family and friends at this sad time.

His Journeyâ€™s
Just begun

Donâ€™t think of him as gone away-
His journeyâ€™s just begun;
Life holds so many facets-
This earth is only one.
Just think of him as resting
From the sorrows and the tears
In a place of warmth and comfort
Where there are no days and
tears.
Think how he must be wishing
That we could know today,
How nothing but our sadness
Can really pass away.
And think of him as living
In the hearts of those he touchedâ€¦
For nothing loved is ever lost-
And he was loved so much.

Steve Tonnesen · Post by **Steve Tonnesen** » 1 Mar 2014 3:23 pm

bruce fischer wrote:so sorry to hear this.
our prayers to all his family and friends at this sad time.

His Journeyâ€™s
Just begun

Donâ€™t think of him as gone away-
His journeyâ€™s just begun;
Life holds so many facets-
This earth is only one.
Just think of him as resting
From the sorrows and the tears
In a place of warmth and comfort
Where there are no days and
tears.
Think how he must be wishing
That we could know today,
How nothing but our sadness
Can really pass away.
And think of him as living
In the hearts of those he touchedâ€¦
For nothing loved is ever lost-
And he was loved so much.

Bruce
Thank you so much for those inspirational words.
Coping with the loss at this point, I'm still a little numb, but as the days go by I realize how much I miss him and at some point it's really going to hit.
Right now we've got to let all of his friends know and take care of business.

Cheers...
Here's to dad

Steve Tonnesen · Post by **Steve Tonnesen** » 1 Mar 2014 3:23 pm

bruce fischer wrote:so sorry to hear this.
our prayers to all his family and friends at this sad time.

His Journeyâ€™s
Just begun

Donâ€™t think of him as gone away-
His journeyâ€™s just begun;
Life holds so many facets-
This earth is only one.
Just think of him as resting
From the sorrows and the tears
In a place of warmth and comfort
Where there are no days and
tears.
Think how he must be wishing
That we could know today,
How nothing but our sadness
Can really pass away.
And think of him as living
In the hearts of those he touchedâ€¦
For nothing loved is ever lost-
And he was loved so much.

Bruce
Thank you so much for those inspirational words.
Coping with the loss at this point, I'm still a little numb, but as the days go by I realize how much I miss him and at some point it's really going to hit.
Right now we've got to let all of his friends know and take care of business.

Cheers...
Here's to dad

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 1 Mar 2014 8:01 pm

Goodbye, Billy. We all love you.

Daniel McKee · Post by **Daniel McKee** » 1 Mar 2014 9:14 pm

I always enjoyed reading his post here on the forum

Mike Gross · Post by **Mike Gross** » 2 Mar 2014 4:35 am

Steve,

What a pity! I play your dad often on my "Swingin' West" radio shows. All of our deepest sympathy goes out to you and your family.

Frank Freniere · Post by **Frank Freniere** » 2 Mar 2014 10:35 am

Sorry for your loss, Steve. I will particularly miss your dad's posts about his days with Ole Rasmussen and other Western Swing and steel guitar pioneers.

LJ Eiffert · Post by **LJ Eiffert** » 2 Mar 2014 10:46 am

Steve,You have a great dad and he not gone. I am very proud to say I've been able to gig with him over the many years. I do miss him not playing his steel.He'll always be alive in the memories with me.RIP our brother musician Billy. Uncle Leo J.Eiffert,Jr. & Family.

Steve Tonnesen · Post by **Steve Tonnesen** » 3 Mar 2014 6:50 am

To all above, I appreciate all of your kind words and dad will know all of your thoughts are with him.
Tough this weekend not talking to him on Sunday as he or I always called each other on Sunday afternoons to check up.

Thanks again
Steve

Joe Casey · Post by **Joe Casey** » 3 Mar 2014 7:37 am

I Ran into Billy several times in the 60s but honestly I never got to personally meet him. I always heard of his reputation and all the good words everyone that knew him always had to say. Gone is one great link to a great era in the west Coast music scene. Steve my condolences on your great loss. And to the West coast scenes big loss. The man was a walking history book

Jerry Hayes · Post by **Jerry Hayes** » 3 Mar 2014 2:04 pm

Joe Casey wrote: I always heard of his reputation and all the good words everyone that knew him always had to say. Gone is one great link to a great era in the west Coast music scene. Steve my condolences on your great loss. And to the West coast scenes big loss. The man was a walking history book

You got that right Joe, how many of us could say we'd recorded with Frank Sinatra?...RIP Billy T.

Rick Ulrich · Post by **Rick Ulrich** » 5 Mar 2014 9:10 am

I never did meet Billy in person, but it I think Joe Casey said it best, the guy was a great link to the era when Country Music was King on the west coast. I grew up in that era and enjoyed hearing Billy's recollections and filling in many of the blanks I have in my memory. His presence here on the Forum will truly be missed. I regret not having met him in person. My condolences to you, Steve and your family.

Steve Tonnesen · Post by **Steve Tonnesen** » 6 Mar 2014 11:28 am

Rick Ulrich wrote:I never did meet Billy in person, but it I think Joe Casey said it best, the guy was a great link to the era when Country Music was King on the west coast. I grew up in that era and enjoyed hearing Billy's recollections and filling in many of the blanks I have in my memory. His presence here on the Forum will truly be missed. I regret not having met him in person. My condolences to you, Steve and your family.

Thank you, much appreciated!

Dave Harmonson · Post by **Dave Harmonson** » 7 Mar 2014 9:34 am

Although I never met Billy I felt I knew him from this forum. He was a great player and I could feel his sense of humor come out through his posts.
He will be greatly missed by all of us.

Melanie ReMine · Post by **Melanie ReMine** » 7 Mar 2014 4:32 pm

I am so very sorry to hear that, Steve. I never met your father but, like Dave said, I felt like I knew him from his posts on the forum. He was a great steel guitarist, as I learned from listening to recordings he did with Ole Rasmussen. He was also a true gentleman and a wealth of wonderful knowledge about steel guitar history. I would have loved to sit and talk with him for hours. We will miss him very much. God bless you.
Melanie ReMine Hilliard

Steve Tonnesen · Post by **Steve Tonnesen** » 9 Mar 2014 5:36 pm

Once again, I want to thank all of you for the responses.
If any of you are close enough to attend his memorial, it will be held at the Veteran's Memorial Cemetary at Riverside, CA - staging area #4 at 10:45AM on Friday, March 14th
He will be recieving full military honors, and if I could, full Country/Western honors.
I'll post the location and time on other boards also.
It would be nice to see some of you, if you can attend.

Thanks, everyone
Love, William "Billy" Tonnesen and his eldest son Steve.

LJ Eiffert · Post by **LJ Eiffert** » 11 Mar 2014 8:51 am

Steve, I will be there
Uncle Leo J.Eiffert,Jr. and for all the musicians who knew him that can not make it.

HowardR · Post by **HowardR** » 11 Mar 2014 11:38 am

My deepest sympathy and condolences.....

I have always enjoyed Billy Tonnesen's posts.....I did not know him but I always felt like I was sitting in the living room with him while he was educating us about the days that many of us have never seen.....

Your dad was a great man and well loved here.......

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 11 Mar 2014 3:56 pm

Billy posted this here once:

img]http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/userpix0 ... io_1_1.jpg[/img]