Remembering Billy Knowles

Billy Knowles was just 32 years old when his battle with mental illness and substance abuse claimed his life. His 10 year old daughter, Gabriella and partner of 14 years, Tiffany are now left with a whole in their lives and hearts. He loved animals, dogs especially, and had a natural way with them. Sometimes I wondered if he wasn’t like Dr Dolittle and could actually talk to them. He absolutely loved being out at sea and worked as a commercial fisherman in New Bedford. He’d often say being out on the open water brought him such peace. He loved so fully and whole heartedly. His Gabby was the light of his life and never failed to bring a smile to his face even in his darkest moments, Tiffany was his rock, his anchor when the stormy waters threatened to throw him out to sea. He cherished his family. Mental illness is something a lot of people struggle with and Billy was no different. To cope with his inner demons, he fell prey to drugs. Drugs that made him feel as though he was Superman, as his daughter often said he was. Unfortunately that’s what led to his downfall, but even in those moments, his love for his family was undeniable. His loved ones were by his side fighting as hard as he was, but ultimately, the battle was lost. When we lose a loved one, we should be able to grieve and eventually make peace, but the sad reality is that instead of being able to let ourselves feel and process, we’re left to worry about how we are going to fund necessary services. Tiffany cannot go into work right now because of the crippling pain of this loss all the while trying to be strong for her little girl, the little girl that lost her father and subsequently half her world. This GoFundMe is for them. For Billy’s girls. For a mother who now has to learn how to parent alone. For a little girl who has experienced a loss so profound, there truly is no coming back from. When we lose a loved one, we deserve to process, to let ourselves feel what we need to. We deserve to find a way to navigate the new reality we have found ourselves in without the concern of finances taking over. Anything will help in these tough times We appreciate you taking the time to read this post.