NORTHAMPTON — Bill Hairston was one of the first people to greet Cathie McCoy on the day she began attending services at College Church back in 1977.

A quiet man who made coffee and stayed at the back of the church, it wasn’t until McCoy and a friend invited him out to Friendly’s that she learned about Hairston’s military service, his struggles with alcohol and his efforts to overcome his addictions, and his passion to help others.

“I soon realized he had an amazing story to tell, but I also never heard him brag during our 47 years of friendship,” says McCoy, recalling her friend who died on March 22 at age 86. “Bill was a humble servant and so kindhearted.”

At Bluebonnet Diner, which along with Stop & Shop were the places outside church Hairston frequented, every day he was at the counter, seated in a place where he could look into the kitchen as his food was being made.

“He was a friend to everyone,” says Jannine Haggerty, head waitress at Bluebonnet, recalling that Hairston would call everyone “governor.” “He was so friendly, he made us all smile.”

Usually arriving around 1 p.m., Hairston would get a bowl of soup, often choosing the chowder, and a piece of pie, typically banana cream or chocolate cream. “He was always so low key and we stopped asking him what he wanted,” Haggerty said.

These are among the memories people have of Hairston, who died about two weeks ago after spending several days in the hospital battling pneumonia and entering hospice care.

Hairston leaves behind a professional and personal legacy that included being the head counselor at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Leeds, where he treated patients who misused or were addicted to substances, from alcohol and heroin to opiates and opiods like percocet, vicodin and oxycontin. He also helped people with other problems like gambling addiction and sex addiction.

“He was really well loved up there,” said Steve Connor, director of Central Hampshire Veterans’ Services.

Hairston’s name also adorns the Hairston House on Graves Avenue in Northampton, a sober house or halfway house opened in the 1970s by the Hampshire Area Commission on Alcohol. The house includes a 19-person substance use recovery program for men run by the Gandara Center, which focuses on individual responsibility and peer support and uses behavior modification techniques with positive reinforcement.

A Danville, Virginia native, Hairston enlisted as a private in the U.S. Army in 1956 and shipped out to Vicenza, Italy, where he began drinking. After four years in the military, he got married, had two children and began a civilian career, but continued drinking. Arriving in Northampton in the late 1960s and moving in to the Leeds medical center for therapy sessions, he remained sober from 1970 until his passing, despite challenges that included getting a divorce.

In 2010, Hairtson was honored by Elite American Executives for demonstrating dedication, leadership and excellence in addiction counseling, one of 20 national awards he would receive for his

In a 1979 profile in the Gazette, Hairston said, “I’m probably freer than a lot of people will ever be because I’m not only free from the bottle, but I’m free from my shortcomings. I can accept myself for what I am, a recovering alcoholic.”

For many years, Hairston also had a personal website, which read in part, “William R. Hairston has always maintained a love for helping others. Throughout his career, Mr. Hairston has provided health care for veterans and their families, and assisted individuals in attaining personal and professional growth by gaining sobriety. Everyone must go through their own struggles, and Mr. Hairston is there to lend a helping hand, and make the battle a bit easier.”

Serving as a deacon at College Church and a weekend custodian, often setting up the chairs, faith was important to him, said Senior Pastor Bill Hodgeman.

“He saw the good and potential in everyone,” Hodgeman said.

“There are so many good memories of Bill,” McCoy said. “A hug and a smile would solve problems and challenges.”

Dan Edwards, the leader of Recovery Church Northampton, a ministry at College Church, said Hairston will be sorely missed.

“Bill Hairston is like a rock star to a lot of these people, because some of them have stayed at Hairston House,” Edwards said. “It’s a place where the approach is to save lives by fostering sobriety. His impact in the recovery movement has been profound, and his impact on young people continues because of the legacy he’s left, a legacy of how to do it right and how to give back.”

But at the same time, Hairston was modest. “He didn’t go around banging the drum, he just did it,” Edwards said.

The approach was to offer people support, but also be firm, McCoy said. “Bill had a great combination of utter compassion, and not taking any crap,” McCoy said.

Edwards said Hairston appreciated soul music and performers like Al Green and James Brown, and always had a cool car like an Oldsmobile Toronado or a Buick Regal. “His cars were always impeccably kept,” Edwards said.

Others at Bluebonnet remember his humor. Tammy Kuchyt, who has tended bar there, said, “he always had a smile, was always friendly, and such a great man. You couldn’t ask for a sweeter man.”

“He was one of those people you were glad to meet,” said Kreg Brodeur, a Bluebonnet dishwasher.

Customers, too, recall his presence, with Elizabeth Rogaleski reflecting on his cheerful, warm and pleasant disposition. “He always brightened your days just by seeing him,” Rogaleski said. “He will be greatly missed.”

Ed Sherman, a Navy veteran, used to joke around with Hairston and a Marine veteran. “He was a really nice guy. It’s so sad to hear he died,” Sherman said.

Haggerty said Hairston celebrated birthdays and other occasions and those at the diner made a card they hoped to bring him, addressing him by the names they knew by him, including Billy Bob, Sweet Willie, Brown Sugar, Top Shelf and Cookie Man , the last indicating his frequent gifts.

In his later years, he would mumble as he talked, and Haggerty gave him a sort of speech therapy, awarding blue, silver and gold stars based on how well he talked.

She, too, saw his sense of humor in calling the chocolate ream pie “bug pie” due to the chocolate bits in it.

Once, when he ordered eggs, Haggerty brought him raw eggs in a bowl, since he didn’t specify how he wanted them prepared. He never forgot to do so again. “He always did after that,” Haggerty said.

Edwards said Hairston was dedicated to God and Jesus and asked for “friendship, prayer and love” from others.

“Bill loved his friends, he loved to pray, and he loved to give love, but he also knew he needed love,” Edwards said.

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.