Al Huntley sifts through a handful of photos of his wife, Wendy Huntley, who died of colon cancer a little more than a year ago, and stifles the tears that come readily to his eyes.

Despite his obvious grief, Al is carrying on his wife’s last wish, which was to ensure that low-income Central Oregonians have access to colon cancer education and screening.

“We’ve set up a foundation called Wendy’s Wish. She wanted people to be aware of the symptoms and to be able to provide funds for treatment for those who couldn’t afford it,” said Al, 63, a retired industrial arts teacher who taught at Cascade Junior High School, where he met Wendy, who had been a science teacher there.

“If you detect colon cancer early, you have a 90 percent survival rate; if you find it in the later stages, you only have a 10 percent chance of survival. Wendy was already in Stage 3 when she found out.”

Although Wendy knew her chances of survival were slim, she didn’t dwell on it. According to her quilting bee friends, she chose instead to concentrate on others who might be able to get early colon cancer detection.

Quilting for a cause

Wendy belonged to a group of quilters who meet every Monday at BJ’s Quilt Basket shop in Bend. These quilting veterans call themselves “the basket cases” and they were among Wendy’s closest friends.

Together for four years, the group quilted for various charitable causes, and the women credit Wendy for her philanthropic ideas.

“She was our ‘mother superior.’ She kept us on task and organized us,” said Diane Holmes, 55, who originally urged Wendy to get a colonoscopy when she wasn’t feeling well. “She kept us all motivated. We did quilts for fallen soldiers’ families, we did quilts for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, and we did a quilt for the Sparrow Club’s auction every year.”

Annette Perry, 43, remembers Wendy’s humor and laughter no matter how ill she felt.

“She was really funny. I always remember her saying to us, ‘no orange crochet ladies,’ and what she meant by that is she didn’t want old granny looking stuff,” recalled Perry. “She was a good friend. We really miss her.”

With all the causes the group supported over the years, it was a natural follow through that this year, they would do something for their good friend Wendy, who led them on their other philanthropic missions.

The Christmas Goose

Besides being a retired science teacher, wife, mother of two grown daughters, and a quilter and crafter, Wendy also founded her own Christmas craft fair, which she named the Christmas Goose.

Al recalls that it started 15 years ago in their living room, where Wendy and her artistic friends would sell their handmade crafts over weekends.

But soon, the Christmas Goose got too popular for their living room and garage, and was moved to the barn at Hollinshead Center, where it has remained.

This year, the Christmas Goose craft fair will give proceeds to Wendy’s Wish foundation, which will help fund colon cancer screening for low income Central Oregonians.

At Monday’s sewing group, Al pulled out a child’s sweatshirt and a baby bib from a large bag of crafts that Wendy had embroidered for the craft fair.

Basket case members told Al how he should display some of Wendy’s crafts on a table, or they suggested he model them. He sighed with mock exasperation: “Instead of taking orders from one woman, now I have to take orders from all these women. But they are the elves.”

The “elves,” as Al calls them, have been a big comfort to him in his grief, and his regular presence at Monday’s sewing group is always welcome.

The group’s commitment to Wendy’s Wish is highlighted by the fact that this group of 18 women finished nearly two dozen quilts that Wendy never got to complete.

Those quilts will be on display at the Christmas Goose, along with many other craft items that Wendy herself had made for the craft fair.

Making lemonade

Though the women in the sewing group knew Wendy was going to die, her death at the end of August last year still took them by surprise, because Wendy had remained upbeat till the very end.

She died at age 55, just a couple of weeks after her oldest daughter’s wedding.

“Wendy had so much energy, and always had a positive attitude. She inspired all of us, and in the end, she really made it a priority to be here,” said best friend Romona Greeno, 58, who met Wendy when they were both rookie teachers at Cascade Junior High School. “She never stopped being a teacher, she never really retired. She used her teaching skills to teach all of us new quilting techniques. She was a very good teacher.”

While there were dark days when Wendy wasn’t feeling well, she never let on.

“Even when she was sick as a dog, she still came in and volunteered and helped. She always said, ‘When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade,’” recalled Kim Hess, 52, wiping tears from her eyes. “Oh, and towards the end, we had a lot of lemonade. She made us lemonade and brought it in. Doing this all together, won’t just be Wendy’s wish. We’ll make it a reality.”

Wendy’s friends and family knew her not only as the “lemonade maker,” but also as “the fighter.” Wendy’s battle with colon cancer was her second battle with the disease. She underwent a mastectomy and fought breast cancer first. Al said she was almost a 10-year breast cancer survivor when they found out she had colon cancer.

Married for 31 years, Al says he has daily reminders of his wife’s passion for crafting, with quilt pieces, chocolate candy molds and painting kits around the house.

Though Wendy’s no longer here, Al says he’s committed to supporting her friends with their crafts and the Christmas Goose craft fair.

“With Wendy, no one was a stranger for long,” said Al, pausing for a moment to collect his thoughts. “If we were in the grocery line, she’d talk to someone and within 15 minutes, she knew all about their lives, and they knew about ours. She was someone who, when she launched into an activity, she would study it and then just do it.”

Taking cues from Wendy, Al isn’t about to let the Christmas Goose craft show end with her passing. Instead, he and the “elves” are taking it to the next level and fulfilling Wendy’s wish.

IF YOU GO

What: Christmas Goose Holiday Bazaar

When: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. today

Where: Hollinshead Center, 1235 N.E. Jones Road, Bend

Cost: Free admission

Contact: 389-7118 or www.wendyswish.org