William E. Cummings' Obituary
William E. Cummings Easton, William E. “Bill†Cummings died peacefully on September 19, 2014 at the Pines, with his family by his side. He was born on March 3, 1927 in Queen Anne’s County Hospital to Ernest F. and Elizabeth Smith Cummings. Along with his parents, he was preceded in death by a sister; Elizabeth Dunleavy, who died in 2011. He married Jean K. Wothers (deceased) and has two children; a son, William E. Cummings, Jr. (Janice) of Arizona and a daughter, Tootie Duncan (Bruce) of Easton. He also has two grandchildren; Amanda J. Cole, and Mace Conley, six great-grandchildren; Tyler, Annie, Amber, Cala, Nicholas and Mason. He also leaves behind a niece, Pam Haddaway and a nephew, Ellsworth Haddaway, also a very special friend, “Poochie†Loretangeli. He began working on the water at a young age with his Dad. After a short stint in the U.S. Navy, he came back and pursued his occupation of being a commercial fisherman. It was very hard work but he always loved it. He was a man of principle and lived by that rule all of his life. His interest in Art started a very young age. At that time, Art was not a subject introduced in school. On his days off from working on the water because of bad weather, he would study art from books. He had to study anatomy, the color wheel and see how best to apply these to his art. He first tried small subjects such as a horse, a boat, and a tobacco barn. As the years rolled by, and he got older, he could see his occupation as a commercial fisherman coming to an end. It was then that he decided to put the times he spent on the water and the business on paper, and canvas. His art work was done from memories of days gone by and the waterman’s way of life. He had finished many paintings pertaining to his life as a waterman and of course, his childhood. He reflected on how the waterman’s way of doing things had changed and gone never to return. This saddened him very much. A memorial service will be held at the Tilghman United Methodist Church, on Saturday, October 4, 2014 at 1:00PM, where friends may visit with the family from noon until 1:00. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, at Dads request, please make donations to The Tilghman waterman’s Museum P.O. Box 344 Tilghman, MD. 21671. Arrangements are by the Ostrowski Funeral Home St. Michaels, MD. (www.ostrowskifh.com
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