UPDATE: Tom Artis family struggling
Via Blog@Newsarama:
The Springfield (Ill.) State Journal-Register reports on the financial problems faced by the family of Tom “TC” Artis, the comics artist who died on May 1.
Artis, 51, suffered a massive stroke last June that left him comatose, and reliant on a ventilator and feeding tube. He was best known for his work on The Spectre, Green Arrow and Tailgunner Jo.
According to the newspaper, Artis’ family — wife Kim and children Deucalion, 13, and Hope, 5 — doesn’t have the money to pay for his funeral and burial and still be able to cover rent and other expenses. Kim was her husband’s sole caregiver over the past year, and was unable to work as Artis’ health deteriorated.
An account has been established at the local Marine Bank to accept donations for Artis’ burial and for the care of his children.
Artis’ funeral is scheduled for Friday.
Would you be able to forward any specific details as to where people could make contibutions?
As we hear about it, we'll spread the word.
Richard Pachter and Doug Rice are presently organizing an eBay auction, and ComicMix will be happy to pass along any contribution considerations. E-mail me at mike@comicmix.com
Goodbye my good friend, I really never knew a person like Tom,when things became in life for myself sometimes to hard to deal with,there was Tom. He always seemed to understand life in ways others could not. I first saw his works back in 1983 here in Springfield,IL his home town as well as mine.I would see his drawing at the downtown business, one day at Samuels I took a longer look at one of his drawings,they had placed on the counter, I asked who the artist was and they said Tom Artis, he comes around from time to time to and we pay him for some ad work for the newspaper,I said when yousee him again have him call me as I may have a job for him.Well I got a call from him a few days later, we met and I told him about my new record store I was about to open at a local mall and we agreed on hours and pay if he would come to work for me, he did. On Saturdays he would teach drawings to the kids who came into my shop. He was looked at as a local comic book hero,he drew all of the super hero's, he became a legend to many young kids,it seemed to be his calling the kids counld't wait for him on Saturdays at my shop Cadance Records.As time wnt on we became more then just employer ,emplyee relationship we became great friends, we would go out for coffee and hang out and I would watch himdraw with such eaze, people would look at him in wonderment, he was a great artist, a great human being and great father.As time went on during times in his life that he just went away to work in Chicago and live there I did not see him much ,he and I would call each other and burn up the phone lines to get caught up on the stories on each others ones life. I would go up and hang out with him at his home in Rogers Park, and we go out for coffee and he would be drawing almost as we talked he could do both at the same time draw and talk and smoke those cigs, we would return back to his apartment on the Gold Coast and he was happy he was very busy and working around the clock on his Marvel/DC Comics.One day I got a call he was returning back to Springfield the work was over and he was coming back home, he never drove back then so if you wanted to hang out figure on picking him up and going to the places he seemed to want to hang out at.As time came and went my life got upsiade down at it was Tom who was there for me, bad divorce to a woman that was ruining my life, Tom being up all night was a sort of life line, we would talk for hours and it seemed he was the wisest man on the planet he undertood everything and his words of wistom still stick with me today.One of things he said was Bob you can't control any one from beyond the tips of your fingers is where that ends…get on with your life..a second thing he said its not were you came from that matters but ist what you do with your life now that counts..we had been talking about my misspent youth and all.Just a few years a ago I was working at the Boys & Girls Club and I helped him get a job working a few days a week maybe more or less he worlked with the kids at Jefferson Middle school as a teacher for the arts, well of course it was a flashabck to earlier times when I had my record shop and he had classes then ..well the kids loved Tom he helped many a student he was great with kids..very much a role model with them.That program ended I never saw much iof him from 2004 or called much either, things in life seemed to be going great , but as always Tom stuggled with having much money, times got bad and then he feel ill and things became worse by the months and then the days .The ladt time a saw him was at St Johns in a coma looking at himwasa very sad day for me, I saw a great man just lying there, I knew he was not coming out of it.I was sad for him and his kids.The world has lost someone who seemed to know way to much about life the people in it ,his real world was comics and those became his friends as well. I have his works from many of his comic books signed to me , I have a picture he drew of my daugher Kristi, and my books he did the covers for, and other related drawing she made for me. He will be missed by many. RIP Tom I 'll see you on the otherside someday we can pick up where we last talked.I hope they have coffee in Heaven,we willhave lots to sit around and talk about I am sure. From a friend and fan God speed and comfort you earned brother. RIP