Woof Died

My uncle, Jimmy Williams, AKA the Woof, died on or around Wednesday, the 6th of August of the year 2008 in his home in Warrenton or in Portland, Oregon, USA.

After Revolution Hawaii and Camp Kuratli, I was spending a week at WYI (Western Youth Institute) at Camp Arnold near Seattle, Washington USA, which is a 7-days-long young adults retreat for those associated with The Salvation Army in and around the west coast of the United States. Around 300 people attend annually.

My friend, Lincoln Hawk, suggested that I move to Long Beach, California USA. I first met Lincoln the previous year at WYI 2007 at Camp Redwood Glen in Scotts Valley, California USA.

In 2007, I started getting close to Lincoln, or it at least felt that way. His then-wife (in 2007) suggested that I move to Long Beach (LB), California (CA). From August 2007 to June 2008, I was in Hawaii, but I would talk to Lincoln on the phone, and he visited me and the team (Revolution Hawaii) on my birthday in 2008, and Lincoln suggested that I became the Youth Pastor Assistance at his Salvation Army corps (church) in Long Beach (since Lincoln is the Youth Pastor and Worship Leader, and other things as well, there).

Lincoln would talk in general terms with me, like in code, and it sounded like he was saying that he would get me to Long Beach in August of 2008, find me a job, and get me a place to live.

Lincoln got his friend, Jeanette Whitaker, to talk to me on the phone daily. She was in his youth group and she would call me daily. She started liking me until I accidentally called her ugly.

At WYI, in August 2008, Lincoln was basically telling me no, but not in those exact words, except that he was trying to say that I failed the many tests since he had spies in Hawaii that were reporting everything that I was doing to him. It seems that I failed the tests, which disabled me from joining him in Long Beach, California.


I had no backup.

In December 2007, or before June 2008, I was able to talk to my uncle, Jimmy "The Woof" Williams on my mobile cell phone that I inherited from younger sister. Jim was proud of me and he donated about $50 USD or $200, since I was in need of financial support to pay for my nine months charity missions trip in Hawaii.

That was my last conversation with Jim.

It was a worthy conversation that I will not forget.

I had no backup plan. I was simply going to go to Long Beach, California in August of 2008, but I guess that never happened, and Lincoln may have been saying that it is my fault, but his marriage was also falling apart, since he ended up divorcing and/or separating in 2009.

Therefore, I was at a cross-roads or fork in the road.

I felt uncertain about my future during the summer of 2008.

When I heard that Jim died, it went with the flow of how I already felt inside, which was a bunch of this and that, which means that the death did not sting me because I was already emotionally numb at that point of time.

My mother and her then-husband Mr./Mrs. Bill Williams Cunningham (since he did have alternative male and female personalities, but he is male) picked me up in his van on Thursday evening, the 8th of August 2008.

I did not say bye to people, as I left WYI.

Our planned family reunion in Warrenton, Seaside, and Astoria, Oregon, turned into a funeral for Jim. We were able to reunite with my 2 sisters (not my brother or my dad), uncle Brian Morehead and his family, the wife of Jim, Karen, and their 2 sons, Nathan and Alan, and their families, and my mother's parents, and other relatives. We went to the beach, to Karen's house, to Astoria Columns, too I think, to the graveyard, to a church, and other places as well.

Alan drove me in his truck to my dad's trailer, which is where I was born and raised in Forest Grove, Oregon.

until I moved into former apartment of my younger sister in Portland, Oregon, USA, in October of 2008, as I was working as an after-school assistant at the Daniel Grout Elementary School and the Kells Irish Restaurant in PDX.

In October 2008, my grandfather, the father of my mother, Dick Richard Morehead, died, and we had another funeral and reunion in November, this time including my brother Rick Schuylar Arnold, and his wife, Maria, in Portland and Warrenton as well.

But You Are Not Blood

But You Are Not Blood.

My aunt and uncle, Karen and Jim Williams, visit the parents of Karen annually in December for a weekend, usually between Christmas and the New Years. I am not sure when I first knew this, but I think that in 2003, when I was 18 years old, I asked my mom if she could ask her sister Karen if I could tag along.

I went with them twice I believe. I went like in 2003 and 2004 or something like that. Two different years. My aunt and uncle lived in Warrenton, Oregon USA. They drove a few hours to Forest Grove to pick me up. We drive a few hours to Roseburg.

My aunt Karen Williams is the sister of my mom. Their mom died when my mom was about 20 years old. We went to Roseburg to see my mom's dad, Richard "Dick" Erwin Morehead and his new wife "Skip" who kind of talked snobby and proudful about her ancestors or something like that. She kind of wispered that one of her relatives or ancestors may have a labourer, but she'd be ashamed of that. I made a joke, and was serious, at the dinner table, and said to Skip that she is not blood.

Me, Karen, & Jim went back into the car, & Jim was proud of what I said and he would tell others about it. It is something that Jim would say to until he died in August 2008. We were back in the car to see Jim's relatives, which I liked more than my own.



December 2003
18 years old
Roseburg, Oregon, United States
Joey Arnold, The Original Oatmeal

Woof, Tyler, Rick, Williams, at the Beach

Woof, Tyler, Rick, Williams, at the Beach.

This was our last family reunion of this exact chemistry and size. This was during the summer of the year 2002. Almost every year, our aunt and uncle, Karen and Jim "The Woof" Williams, would pick a lucky member or two or more of the Arnold family and take them off to their house in Warrenton, Oregon, United States, which is near the Pacific Ocean, the beach, Seaside, Astoria, Tillamook.

We have some of this recorded on my then camcorder. I let Tyler play with my frog. Tyler is the son of my cousin, Nathan Williams. My Aunt Karen Williams is the sister of my mom. My dad played basketball with my Uncle Jim "The Woof" Williams in high school in southern Oregon and at the Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon United States. Nathan and Alan Williams are the two only sons of Karen and Jim.


4th of July, 2002
Warrenton, Seaside, the beach, Oregon, United States
Joey Arnold

Family Trip to Warrenton

Family Trip to Warrenton.

My dad drove me and the rest of the family to Warrenton, Oregon USA, so we could see our aunt and uncle, Karen and Jim Williams, and their kids, Nathan and Allan. This may have been the year that my dad drove us the long way, through Tillamook, which took around four hours instead of an hour or two. My mom had to go to the bathroom. She could not hold it. We went to a lake with our relatives. We went to the beach. Later, dad drove me and our family to the Astoria Columns (a tower on top of a hill) in Astoria, Oregon USA. I got lost there when I was 10 years old or so. This was one of our last trips together as a family besides maybe the year 2004 or 2005 or so.

August 1996
11 years old
Warrenton, Oregon, United States
Joey Arnold, the Original Oatmeal

Apollo 13

Apollo 13.

Almost every year, our aunt and uncle, Karen and Jim Williams, would drive around two hours from Warrenton, Oregon USA to Forest Grove to pick one or more of us Arnold family members, and they would usually drive us in their luxury car back to their house. That is four hours for them, there and back. They would usually come sometimes for the Independence Day holiday, which is the 4th of July each year.

They would also come sometimes for Christmas each year, which is the 25th of December of each year. I actually think they did come twice a year to see us.

In the year 1995, in July, when I was ten years old, they picked up just me, Joey Arnold, and I was so excited since this was always the highlight of my year.

They asked me what film I wanted to see in the big screen and I demanded for the Power Rangers; The Movie. Instead, i was like figuratively dragged into a big screen in I think Astoria, Oregon USA, and we saw the film Apollo 13, which stars actor Tom Hanks, and I was not sure what to think then, but now, and as I got older, I began to appreciate Tom Hanks and other things in life.


I almost drown at the beach one night. I am usually with them for a weekend each year, except for one year it was like 9 or so days.

I was not actually drowning.

I was full of sand. The waves were high.

I was with just Jim.

When we got back to their house, I showed Karen how high the waves are with my hands and she gave her scared to death face.

Sometimes, I would pick up golf balls with Jim at golf courses.


4th of July, 1995
10 years oldWarrenton & Astoria, Oregon, United States
Joey Arnold, The Original Oatmeal

Rocking Chair

Rocking Chair.

I remember the very old grandma "Ann" rocking me in our rocking chair in our #163 trailer. This may have been around the year 1988, but I have memories of being rocked by my Aunt Karen Williams in a rocking chair in the basement of her church in Warrenton, Oregon USA before the year 1988, and possibly the year 1986. I am not even sure if I could crawl. I remember seeing board games on the carpet floor in the hallway near the sanctuary of her church, but this may have been the next year or two or more. I think I was able to crawl when I remember seeing my siblings and my cousins, Nathan and Alan Williams, play with the board games on the floor at their church.

1986
1 years old
A church in Warrenton, Oregon, United States
Joey Arnold, The Original Oatmeal