In Memory of Howard “Howie” Wills

Rene Whicker is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Candy Wills.

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Friends, family, and community are devastated by the loss of Howard “Howie” Wills, a beloved husband, brother, uncle, friend, and decades-long community-college educator. With extreme sadness and heavy hearts, close friends of Howie and his wife Candy have created this fundraiser to provide Candy and her family with support and comfort in their time of need.

In May of 2022, Howie was hospitalized and subsequently treated for hyponatremia. Throughout autumn and the holidays, Howie’s condition improved immensely. Then, in January of 2023, Howie was hospitalized again. During this second hospitalization, doctors discovered a large and quickly expanding mass in Howie’s chest, and Howie was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a form of extremely aggressive cancer.

In February, with Candy by his side and always with a smile and quip or two for his oncology team, Howie confidently and bravely began multiple rounds of lengthy chemotherapy treatments that were scheduled to continue until June.

On Thursday, March 30, the oncology team shared with Howie and Candy that the treatments were successfully melting away the mass, and a splendid cancer-free future appeared promising. That evening, Howie and Candy celebrated by sharing the wonderful, miraculous news with family and friends.

The next several days were hopeful, tender, and beautiful as Howie and Candy continued celebrating and began making plans for the summer. Then, on the evening of Monday, April 3, 2023, a sudden complication of the cancer changed everything. Within an hour, Howie was gone. His battle with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was over.

Howie’s passing has left many in pain, shock, and disbelief. For his wife Candy, though, the depth of loss is immeasurable. Candy, encouraged and supported by Howie, became and is still currently a community-college educator, and she was unprepared for this crushing loss. Howie was her best friend, mentor, and rock. Howie was her “person,” and their love was admired by many.

Now with Howie gone, the coming months will be very difficult in many ways, including financially. Howie touched the lives of so many with his huge heart, and we offer much love and gratitude to many who have already reached out to ask how they might help.

We will all dearly miss Howie’s smile, laughter, wit, generosity, insight, and enthusiasm for life. At this time, though, let us all rally around Candy and her family with love, prayers, and any support you may be able to provide as they grieve and begin to heal from our tragic loss of Howie—a genuinely beautiful person.