IRVINGTON, Ala. (WKRG) — A family in Irvington is beset by tragedy for the second time in a few short years. Four years after the Willis family lost their home in a fire, they recently lost a young father to aggressive brain cancer. It’s hard to know what to say when you’ve lost the one you love the most.
“They’re missing him so bad and we’re missing him so bad,” said Melissa Guerry Willis. “He was the most loving gentle soul there was, if the world had more people like him it’d be a more beautiful place.” She’s talking about her husband Greg Willis. In 2018 a fire took their home and we spoke to Greg Willis then. He was grateful for community support and now his wife and children say they need that support again. Melissa Guerry Willis said she lost her husband weeks ago after a recent diagnosis of Glioblastoma. She worries he was so driven with work he put off doctor visits as his health deteriorated and didn’t get the preventative care that could have prolonged his life.
“Go to the doctor, go have regular checkups, make that a priority no matter what you have going on in life,” said Melissa Guerry Willis. She said one of the most important things for her is to prioritize family because no one knows how much time they have left in life.
“It’s important to make money to survive but make your family your priority because that, in the end, is your legacy,” said Willis. We link to their GoFundMe here.