Randy Rubel has spent spent the past few days reliving his memories of his older brother William Rubel, 72, who on Friday became Montgomery County's first reported death from the coronavirus.

It's been a hard time for him and his family.

"There's three brothers...the oldest is Tom, then Billy, and then me. Billy always said it's bing, bang, boom," said Rubel.

The brothers were each born just a year apart. He said they grew up close as military brats traveling the world, as their father served more than 20 years in the Air Force.

"We were the original 'Three Amigos,'" laughed Rubel.

"We traveled all over the United States from one coast to the other coast, and then four years in Japan," he said. "We had a great experience. Then when Dad retired in 1962 ... he was born in Clarksville, and we moved back here."

The boys finished school in Clarksville, with Billy playing football and running track. He graduated from Clarksville High School in 1965.

Rubel said Billy tried college, but it didn't last long.

"Billy only went one quarter at Austin Peay and then dropped out. He didn't like college," chuckled Rubel.

Instead, Billy and their eldest brother Tom both joined the military. Both wound up serving in Vietnam.

"Billy was naval aviation. His job was to photograph Russian submarines. They were sub-chasers. They were photographing them off of the north Vietnam harbors. They were almost shot down twice," said Rubel.

Before long, Randy joined the military as well, after being drafted into the Army.

"We've all been very proud to have served in the military," he said.

It was, in fact, a call to serve that started generations before for the Rubel family.

"We go all the way back to the Revolutionary War. I've got 17 family members that served in the Revolutionary War, including one woman. We are very patriotic. We all fly American flags, which are half mast right now," said Rubel, with a catch in his voice.

Rubel said he and Billy - who went on to a 28-year career with Anheuser-Busch - eventually turned their love of country and service into a passion for Civil War re-enacting.

"We were one of the largest Civil War re-enacting units around the area. We would constantly go to so many different places," he said.

Rubel said their favorite past-time was also tied to their family's past.

"Billy and I worked closely with the Franklin Battlefield Association for many, many years. The reason being, of all the thousands of re-enactors out there, we were probably the only two whose great-grandfather fought against their great, great grandfather right at the Carter House in Franklin," said Rubel. "We're the only two in existence...and now I'm the only one, that's terrible to say."

"We did this to celebrate our love for our ancestors who fought so gallantly in the Civil War," he said.

Those memories bring a smile to the face of Rubel, who's also reminded of another more somber tie to the past the family has now with the death of his brother due to the coronavirus.

"Our great-grandfather died in the (Spanish Flu) epidemic of 1917 in Clarksville. Then his great grandson, Bill Rubel, is the first person to have died in the city limits of Clarksville of COVID-19," shared Rubel.

It's a legacy Rubel wishes his family could have escaped.

"It's been really rough," he said, noting it had been nearly two weeks since he last saw his brother. Rubel said Bill ran a few errands on March 22nd, going to Sam's Club and McDonald's.

"That evening he had a bad stomachache," said Rubel. "Tuesday, he was still in bed, and I told him he needed to get up because it was a sunny day. I told him he needed to get some exercise. Wednesday, I called him and I told him, 'You're going to get up, you're going to get dressed, and I'm going to come get you. If you're not up, I'll just get you out of bed and I'll take you anyway.' So I went and I got him and I put him in my truck. I took him to the Tennova at Exit 11. They took him right in, and that was the last time I saw him."

Rubel said after waiting over an hour, someone told him they were transferring his brother by ambulance to the main hospital.

"They said he's got pneumonia and strep throat, and all signs of having the coronavirus," said Rubel.

Rubel never saw his brother again.

He said Bill's daughter - a nurse who lives with her two young sons in Chattanooga - was allowed to visit him in full protective gear.

"The doctor called her and told her, if you want to spend any time with your dad you need to do it now," said Rubel. "She was able to go in and spend quality time with her dad for the last time. Then it was just the nurses calling ... saying things like they're continuing treatment and praying he's strong enough."

But Billy never left Tennova. He was placed on a ventilator, and his kidneys started failing.

Friday, Randy got the call that his brother had died.

"It was rough. It was rough on (his daugher Kristen). I went to bed Friday, and Kristen called me and said they had just called her and he had passed away," said Rubel.

Now, he's left to remember happier times with his brother, whose love of military history was matched only by his love of family; who delighted in telling stories, cracking jokes and debating politics; whose laughter and smile made him friends everywhere he went.

"Billy was a walking encyclopedia on the Civil War. But not only the Civil War ... WWII, Korea, Vietnam. He would read something and remember it," said Rubel.

"He loved to tell stories. He just had everybody in stitches. He was funny. He had lots of friends, and there's an outpouring for him right now. I don't think Billy ever met somebody he didn't talk to, and even if they didn't want to talk to him, he'd talk to them," he said with a laugh.

"He loved his daughter. He loved his grandkids. He loved spending time with them. It's been really rough," he said, fighting back tears. "I get more emotional when I get on Facebook, and I see a picture somebody's posted, and their remembrance of Billy ... his smile, his laughter, his character and his friendliness."

Reach Jennifer Babich at 931-245-0742 or by email at jbabich@gannett.com.

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