In Memorium: TAFA Member Cindy Wills Dies of Cancer

In June, Cindy posted on her blog:

Sometime in 2007 I began keeping this blog. The idea was to share my recent creations without having to list each item for sale. I probably had hopes of doing something creative with it, too. April 6, 2011, I was diagnosed with cancer. My doctor referred to it as the nasty, weird kind of cancer. Since the beginning of April I have had 3 surgeries. I truly prefer to bring light and smiles into this world as enough of everything else already exists.

There were a couple more posts then, nothing.  Nothing on her facebook page either.  Cindy had become an online friend and I kept checking periodically to see how she was doing.  Today I did a little more digging and was saddened to find her obituary, stating that she passed away in September.  

One of her last blog posts has a few photos of her:

Cindy Wills, 1956

Cindy Wills, 1978

Cindy Wills 1994

Cindy was extremely talented and I really liked her work.  She was a rug hooker:

Hooked Rug by Cindy Wills

Her collages were my favorites:

And, her best selling items on Etsy were rubber stamps that she had made of her drawings:

Cindy was the youngest daughter of Bob Wills, the famous singer who is known for his Western Swing, music which I thoroughly enjoy.  Cindy had started a group on facebook which posted Swing music regularly.  Her dad is the one dancing around the stage:

I am so saddened by the knowledge of Cindy's passing.  I find it distressing that there was so little about her on the web.  Yes, our time here is short, but she made such an impact on me in such a short time that I would think her family and friends would have posted more about her on the web or alerted the rest of us who followed her on her blog and on facebook that she had died...  Maybe they didn't have her passwords?  My father recently said that is something I should do, keep a list of my online places and passwords so that if something happens to me, someone might be able to access my sites.  Very true...  

I have had so many friends in the last two years who have come down with life threatening illnesses and cancer, but most have been doing so well that I just assumed Cindy would bounce back up.  Well, she didn't.  Fare ye well, Cindy!

“I see my life and all the places I have lived as a colorful patchwork quilt.” – Cindy Wills Marcrum (1/15/1955-9/12/2011)

From her obituary:

Biography

Surrounded by family and prayers, Cindy Wills Marcrum passed away on Monday, September 12 at 11:23pm. Cindy was born in Sacramento, CA on January 15, 1955. She was the youngest child of Bob and Betty Wills, mother of sons Austin and Aaron, and wife of Herschel (Rick) Marcrum.

Bob Wills (1905-1975) was the creative force behind the American music form known as Western Swing and, artist, Cindy Wills, was his daughter. She was born with the marvelous talents of an artist and produced beautiful works throughout her life. In 1999, her father was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Cindy traveled to New York City to accept the award. She served on the board of directors of the Bob Wills Heritage Foundation, Inc.and was dedicated to preserving her family’s legacy.

“I see my life and all the places I have lived as a colorful patchwork quilt,” she would say, “And whether I am creating portrait, landscape or modern paintings; hand-hooked wool rugs; stamp designs, or collages, my inspiration has always ultimately reflected at least a thread of that patchwork.”

 In Lieu of flowers, the family requests donations made in Cindy's name to The Bob Wills Heritage Foundation, Inc., P.O. Box 1945, Burleson, Texas 76097.