RIP Nancy Hiller

[Phillip Mitchell]

Sad news and a big loss for the woodworking community. Nancy had been battling pancreatic cancer for some time and has passed on according to Lost Art Press.

Her book “Making Things Work” had a huge impact on me as I was transitioning into starting my WW business and working less for others when it came out.

She was scholarly, practical, hilarious, extremely skilled, and very kind.

https://blog.lostartpress.com/

[Kevin Jenness]

Sad news and a big loss for the woodworking community. Nancy had been battling pancreatic cancer for some time and has passed on according to Lost Art Press.

Her book “Making Things Work” had a huge impact on me as I was transitioning into starting my WW business and working less for others when it came out.

She was scholarly, practical, hilarious, extremely skilled, and very kind.

https://blog.lostartpress.com/


I had not been aware of this talented woman, so thanks for the notice and link. I will investigate her writing.

[Paul F Franklin]

So sorry to hear this, although I knew she was gravely ill. I learned a lot from her articles over the years.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Sorry to hear of her demise. Pancreatic cancer is so sudden and takes no prisoners. Her legacy is impressive. I will research some of her writings to add to my library.

[Kevin Jenness]

One issue that comes to mind is the relative scarcity of women in woodworking. They are few and far between in the trade around here, for no good reason. I hope to see more coming up. There are some in the turning club I belong to, but I never come across them in cabinet shops. Not that I get out much...

[John TenEyck]

I saw Nancy on the front cover of a recent issue of FWW. She looked to be in very poor health and inside it discussed her diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Coincidentally, I was doing some research in another issue of FWW about 10 years old and Nancy was in that issue, too, looking vibrant and full of life. I'll miss seeing her articles.

There're plenty of reasons why you don't see many women in the woodworking (and most other) trades, mostly because of men. But it's slowly changing. Nancy and a few others were pioneers of women in woodworking.

John

[Frederick Skelly]

Rest in Peace.
Pancreatic is awful.

[Christopher Charles]

Sad news indeed. Her response to the cancer was as admirable as all of her work prior. A big loss.

[Todd Trebuna]

I knew of her only by reputation and it was a good one. Prayers for her family and many friends.

[Richard Coers]

As a previous owner of a one and then two man shop, I found her writing described that life so well. How so many of us of that age, that cut our teeth on FWW magazine, reset our path in life. She was a great talent and such a skilled writer. RIP Nancy, I hope your final journey was peaceful.

[Greg Quenneville]

Thank you for posting this Phillip. Today was the first that I had heard of her, and by all accounts she was a wonderful person. I just bought a couple of her books and apparently I shall miss her even more after their reading.

[Rob Luter]

Sad news. I was following her end of life journey through her articles and blog posts. It was apparent that her time on earth was about finished. Her work lives on forever. We should all hope for that.

[Frank Pratt]

Sad news. Pancreatic is a tough one. My mom had it but was one of the very few to beat it.

[William Chain]

This is an extraordinary loss to many people, and woodworkers are just one little group that Nancy touched. Just a great lady, and a consummate writer and informal mentor. Nancy was kind enough to correspond with me as I've been working on a sideboard described in magazine articles and her book on English furniture. As sick as she was, she took time to talk with me about my work and my interpretation of her instructions. Her guidance was essential as I've been working on this, and she was just so kind to me and so giving of her time. What a great person.

[Frederick Skelly]

This is an extraordinary loss to many people, and woodworkers are just one little group that Nancy touched. Just a great lady, and a consummate writer and informal mentor. Nancy was kind enough to correspond with me as I've been working on a sideboard described in magazine articles and her book on English furniture. As sick as she was, she took time to talk with me about my work and my interpretation of her instructions. Her guidance was essential as I've been working on this, and she was just so kind to me and so giving of her time. What a great person.

What a great story. Thanks for telling us this.

[Ray Newman]

We are diminished. Over the years I enjoyed and learned from her articles and projects.

All I can say is soft and safe be her resting place....

[Jim McCue]

I was sad to hear of her passing.
I did not know her or communicate with her, but always enjoyed reading her articles on the lostartpress blog.

Thought I would include a few links, the one in the original post is no longer current.

Nancy Hiller (1959-2022) (https://blog.lostartpress.com/2022/08/29/nancy-hiller-1959-2022/)

which includes the links to her tribute: Nancy Hiller, Raising the Bar for Everyone (https://blog.lostartpress.com/2022/05/27/nancy-hiller-raising-the-bar-for-everyone/)

There is also a more thorough biography: Meet The Author, Nancy Hiller (https://blog.lostartpress.com/2020/04/16/meet-the-author-nancy-hiller/)

The articles she wrote that I enjoyed were called Little Acorns. If you scroll to the end you can click the link to find the rest. Here are examples of a few:
Nick Offerman: Serious Fun (https://blog.lostartpress.com/2020/08/08/nick-offerman-serious-fun/)
Mario Rodriguez and His Life-changing Couch (https://blog.lostartpress.com/2021/12/19/mario-rodriguez-and-his-life-changing-couch/)
An Interview with Barbie of Barbie Woodshop (https://blog.lostartpress.com/2020/04/21/an-interview-with-barbie-of-barbie-woodshop/)

[Mark Gibney]

I bought and read Nancy's book Making Things Work when it came out, a somewhat random purchase as I wasn't aware of her before.
Reading it I didn't know how big a presence she had in the world of woodworking, and I felt like I was privy to the wisdom of a person who was deeply experienced in life, and humble and humorous enough to share her wisdom. For instance, she tells a story about the time she was asked to take on a woman as an apprentice, a woman who'd had a terrible time of it, the odds always going against her in life, and needed the support and example of a strong role model, and who needed life skills. Nancy said no, she's running a small business, it's a constant fight to make it, and she isn't equipped to become someone's full time instructor.
l found her response clear eyed and honest.

[Stephen Rosenthal]

She was inspirational. Here’s something to watch when you have some time:
https://youtu.be/GZpXk9tzYyE

[Shannon Brantley]

This is an extraordinary loss to many people, and woodworkers are just one little group that Nancy touched. Just a great lady, and a consummate writer and informal mentor. Nancy was kind enough to correspond with me as I've been working on a sideboard described in magazine articles and her book on English furniture. As sick as she was, she took time to talk with me about my work and my interpretation of her instructions. Her guidance was essential as I've been working on this, and she was just so kind to me and so giving of her time. What a great person.

Same with me. A few months back on Instagram, I asked her about a molding profile on a piece in one of her older Lost Art Press blog posts and I got 3 replies. First was quick on what she thought she remembered doing, the second was after she looked up the post correcting herself. The third was a more detailed explanation. I also met her at WIA. She was kind and so informative. Truly a loss to the woodworking community.

[Rob Luter]

While I know her through her works, I never had the pleasure of meeting her. Does she leave a spouse and/or children?

[Gary Ragatz]

The New York Times published a nice obituary (https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/25/obituaries/nancy-hiller-dead.html) today.

[Rob Luter]

Paywall :(

[Gary Ragatz]

Paywall :(

Yeah - I think they let you read 10 articles a month without a subscription. If you're interested, maybe give it a try again this weekend.