Hello community, on behalf of the Gilliam family, we have deeply saddening news.

On March 23rd, 2026, Phyllis Gilliam, the mother of the Gilliam household, lost her battle to stage IV cancer. The last surviving parent of the Gilliam family, he was surrounded by family members and friends who poured love into her until she took her final breath. She was diagnosed in September of 2025, and after promising first rounds of chemo and radiation, her health took a drastic turn. The cancer had metastasized from her lungs to her spine - and more seriously, to her brain.

This news is even more harrowing after the passing of Phyllis' husband and the father of their children, Murrray, in January. Murray's cancer diagnosis came in the fall of 2024, meaning the family has been through a year and a half of chemotherapy, decline, grief, and loss. Murray and Phyllis' children - Robert and Susan- are left to pick up the pieces of a family shattered by terminal illness and navigate a new world without either of their parents by their sides.

Phyllis was an amazing woman - a beacon of light in a dark world. She was a caring sister, a devoted mother, and a loving wife. She was a gifted seamstress and spent nearly 30 years working as a costume designer in television. Any person she came across on set will attest to how uncompromisingly kind she was. Even in her weakest moments, the ICU doctors were charmed by her smile - a smile that could lift anyone's mood. A smile the world will never see again.

Robert and Susan are now tasked with a life-shattering set of challenges. Not only must they process the grief of losing not one but two parents in such a short amount of time, they must also navigate the financial and legal challenges that come with such a loss. The funds from this fundraiser will go towards funeral costs, covering debts left in the wake of their parents' deaths, funding legal assistance in the coming months, and providing overall economic and mental stability for the two children faced with such an unimaginable loss.

Thank you for any and all support provided to our family as we deal with this monumental grief. Everything is appreciated - whether it be a donation or a share.