The Willis Family

[meep]

I don't think I've seen anyone talk about this family. I keep seeing them pop up on local news but I've never had enough time to sit down and watch the segments about them. So I googled them. They have an interesting story. Does anyone know more about them?

wgntv.com/2014/11/06/tragedy-to-triumph-the-willis-family-20-years-after-the-van-crash-that-claimed-6-of-their-9-children/

Some of them have weird names like "Jedi" and "Jazz". Huh. (What is it with the J names???)

[Wenny]

J for Jesus! But really Jaeger then again I know someone name Hennessy Jack.

[JesusPony]

Jaeger and Jedi?! Are they definitely Christian fundie? They have a Joy Anna, though.

Just skimming their website, they just seem like annoying super-energetic do-ers. Always doing something and perky! That annoys me, but more power to them. Seeing a lot of pants-wearing, sleeveless tops and above-the-knee skirts. :naughty:

ETA: website - thewillisclan.com/About.html

[meep]

I was wondering if they were fundie. Maybe not? I just suspected since the whole "loving Jesus, tons of kids, family band" thing.

[Paperplate]

Wow. That mom doesn't look old enough to have all those kids!

They don't look fundie at all ... they have a lot of really defrauding pics up.

[DaffyDill]

Wow...between the three children that survived the accident, there are 34 children. 12 to one couple, 9 to another, and 13 to the third.

The parents received a $100 million settlement after the accident, but I cannot even begin to fathom how unimaginably dreadful it would be to lose 6 of your children all at once.

Don't know if they are fundies, but they are certainly Christian.

[DGayle]

Wow...between the three children that survived the accident, there are 34 children. 12 to one couple, 9 to another, and 13 to the third.

The parents received a $100 million settlement after the accident, but I cannot even begin to fathom how unimaginably dreadful it would be to lose 6 of your children all at once.

Don't know if they are fundies, but they are certainly Christian.

If all the kids had lived, there'd be close to 100 grandchildren. Goddamn.

[Coldwinterskies]

They have pics on there of the girls dancing in short skirts. I see a reference to rock music (!!!) and they celebrate Halloween (!!!). I am thinking they probably aren't fundies. They do sound like conservative Christians, but not as repressed as a lot of the people we talk about on here.

They sound like they are exponentially more free-spirited, fun, and interesting to hang out with than the Maxwells, for example.

[LaLele]

Thanks for posting this. I was fairly young when the Willis family had their crash, and during the subsequent government fall out. I knew the basics, but now I feel better informed about a little piece of Illinois history. See also: why I love internet rabbit holes

[Grimalkin]

Gosh I remember that. Glad they managed to piece a life back together.

[waterandrocks]

I agree about the rabbit holes! I was a teenager when that accident happened and lived near where it happened so it left quite an impression on me. I have often wondered what happened to the family. Thanks for posting!

[Kira]

http://www.thewrap.com/americas-got-tal ... ty-series/

[Eater of Worlds]

My husband went to high school with Toby. He was very religious at that time, of some fundamental variety. And it looks like they still are.

[Ms Lucy Fur]

They had a show on GACTV a couple of years ago.Every waking moment of the kids' livest are filled. They home church and on one episode, Toby talks about how they raise their daughters to be prepared to be a wife by age 18.