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William Byron Whiting II aka Bundle Be (March 13, 1929 - October 13, 2019) was born March 12, 1929 in Delevan, New York and graduated from Alfred University in Alfred, New York. He moved to New York City and became a professional puppeteer with Bil Baird Marionette Theater. Be traveled the country with the Bairds until 1974. He performed at the 1964/65 New York World's Fair, was on a Muppet TV Christmas special, and had fabulous encounters with
Judy Garland,
Margaret Hamilton, and a young
Barbra Streisand.
In 1974 Be moved from NYC to Virginia Beach with his then-partner Henry. He
was active in the professional theatre there, and played many lead roles,
including Lady Bracknell in Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest, and
Malvolio in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.
In 1998 he relocated to Middle Tennessee to be near his faerie community. At 86 Be toured Europe, a life-long goal: returning to the US in high style on the Queen Mary II ocean liner. At 89 Be was still driving himself across the US to visit family and friends. He provided wisdom and wit to all who met him.
After his 90th birthday celebration, Be was recorded saying "Once you believe in yourself and you see your value, that you have worth, that you belong here, once you have gotten in touch with that within, the sky is the limit - anything is possible. Whatever you dream is bound to happen! Thoughts are things, and what we think creates what we have around us."
Late in life, Be reconnected with his best friend Bill from childhood. When
they found each other online, they hadn't been in touch since high school. Be
loved telling the story of his first visit back to the Buffalo area to see
Bill again. They were taking a drive, revisiting memories of places they'd
gone together as youths, when Bill asked, "Do you remember what we used to do
when we pulled the car over?" Be certainly did! and Bill continued, "Do you
think we could do something like that again?" Be eagerly agreed. His gorgeous
blue eyes would light up when speaking of Bill as his "boyfriend." Since
around 2012, Be didn't make it to most SMS Beltaine gatherings, because Bill's
birthday was May 1, and Be preferred to drive twelve hours each way from
Tennessee and spend the gathering week with him.
On October 13, 2019, Be joined his family, friends, and elders who have passed before him.
From the Faure Requiem played at Be's memorial service at his request: "May the angels lead you into paradise ... may you have eternal rest."
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