‘He was everything I try to be’ — Bill Gates mourns as father dies at 94

William Henry Gates, father of Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, is dead.

Bill Gates announced that his father died on Monday in a tribute he wrote in his (William’s) honour.

He said the 94-year-old “was everything I try to be”, adding that his father played a huge role in shaping him into who he is.

“As I got older, I came to appreciate my dad’s quiet influence on almost everything I have done in life. In Microsoft’s early years, I turned to him at key moments to seek his legal counsel,” Bill Gates wrote.

“My dad also had a profound influence on my drive. When I was a kid, he wasn’t prescriptive or domineering, and yet he never let me coast along at things I was good at, and he always pushed me to try things I hated or didn’t think I could do (swimming and soccer, for example).

“And he modeled an amazing work ethic. He was one of the hardest-working and most respected lawyers in Seattle, as well as a major civic leader in our region.”

Bill Gates said in his father’s letter to him on his 50th birthday, the nonagenarian cautioned him against overusing the word “incredible”.

“I have cautioned you and others about the overuse of the adjective ‘incredible’ to apply to facts that were short of meeting its high standard. This is a word with huge meaning to be used only in extraordinary settings,” Bill Gates quoted his father to have written.

He added that William Gates went on to say that,”what I want to say, here, is simply that the experience of being your father has been… incredible”.

Bill Gates also said it was an incredible experience having William Gates as his father.

He said the letter is one of his most prized possessions.

“I know he would not want me to overuse the word, but there is no danger of doing that now. The experience of being the son of Bill Gates was incredible. People used to ask my dad if he was the real Bill Gates. The truth is, he was everything I try to be. I will miss him every day, ” he said.

The co-chair of the Gates Foundation said his father influenced his philanthropist works.

According to him, William Gates was quick to tear up when he saw people suffering.

“My dad’s influence on our philanthropy was just as big. Throughout my childhood, he and my mom taught me by example what generosity looked like in how they used their time and resources,” he said.

“He was quick to tear up when he saw people suffering in the world. And he would not let any of us forget the people behind the strategies we were discussing.

“Finally, my dad had a profoundly positive influence on my most important roles—husband and father. When I am at my best, I know it is because of what I learned from my dad about respecting women, honoring individuality, and guiding children’s choices with love and respect.”