Nancy R. Hiller

Nancy R. Hiller, 63, of Bloomington, Ind., died August 29, 2022, after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. She was surrounded by her sister, Magda Marakovits (Eric), husband, Mark Longacre, and sister-in-law, Amy Shanahan (Patrick). She was the owner of NR Hiller Design, a furniture making studio in Bloomington. Nancy was born in 1959, in Miami Beach, Fla., daughter of Mary Lee Adler and Herbert L. Hiller. She attended Queen’s College, London, and later Cambridge University, where she studied Ancient Greek and Aramaic. After a term, she decided to leave Cambridge to train as a furniture maker. Nancy returned to college, IU, Bloomington, at the age of 30, graduating with a master’s in Religious Studies, specializing in ethics. In 2013 she and Mark Longacre were married. She is survived by her loving parents, husband, sister, and niece, Wyatt Hiller Wilson, as well as cousins and dear friends. Of all the adjectives that can be used to describe Nancy, those that come foremost to mind among her many friends and colleagues are brave, hard-working, talented, erudite, funny, kind, and... she'd be the first to admit this... wordy. She was forever in pursuit of perfection, whether that was in her work as a furniture maker, her writing, or her treatment of others. In the same strong, determined, and steady way that she moved through her life and career, Nancy confronted her pancreatic cancer diagnosis, thinking creatively, managing one obstacle at a time, learning, teaching, and advocating, exuding grace through it all. Nancy's woodworking career began with that training in England, where she lived for 16 years from the age of 12. She earned a City and Guilds of London certificate, then worked for designer Roy Griffiths making kitchens. She also worked for Millside Cabinetmakers and the carpentry shop of the Imperial War Museum at Duxford Airbase before returning to the U.S. Back here, she worked for Wall-Goldfinger and Credence Customer Furniture, which she ran with her former husband, Kent Perelman, before opening her own shop, NR Hiller Design Inc. in 1995 (nrhillerdesign.com). She was a teacher, author, and craftsperson of the highest degree. Among her books are: Shop Tails, Kitchen Think, English Arts & Crafts Furniture, Making Things Work: Tales from a Cabinetmaker's life, The Hoosier Cabinet in Kitchen History, A Home of Her Own, and Historic Preservation in Indiana. Her blogs include Making Things Work at Lost Art Press and Pro's Corner on FineWoodworking.com. She's written numerous articles for Fine Woodworking, Lost Art Press, Popular Woodworking, and a host of other magazines. This quote, from a column she wrote called "The problem with passion," sums up some of Nancy's views on the profession she chose. As always, she kept it real: "Doing what you love for a living demands that you cultivate a larger understanding of loving what you do—one that will accommodate the headaches, stress, sporadic income, difficult clients, occasional doldrums, and sleepless nights that can come with being self-employed. When you think about it, this is no different from the deeply committed love that grounds a long marriage, which may involve stretches of monotony, moments of doubt, tending to a sick spouse (or parent, or child) and the occasional hour or (let’s be honest) more of utter exasperation. " Contributions can be made in Nancy’s honor to PanCan.org. A Celebration of Life may be announced in the future. Allen Funeral Home and Crematory, 4155 South Old State Road 37, Bloomington, have been entrusted with arrangements. Online condolences, photos and memories may be shared with family and friends at www.allencares.com

Tributes

Nancy R. Hiller

July 2, 1959 - August 29, 2022