Timmothy L. Etters

Obituary

Born in 1968 in Elgin, Illinois, Timm Etters age 52 was a talented, internationally recognized fine artist with a focus on school murals & public art, working with children of all ages. He passed September 4, 2021.

Influenced by hip-hop, graffiti, and his battle with cancer he started his company in the hospital at the age of 16. Over 35 years and 314 murals later you can find Timm’s work in over 250 schools and business in the Chicagoland area. His work has been featured in multiple art publications, local TV broadcasts and over 285 local newspaper articles.

Timm was a hip-hop forerunner in the Midwest. Establishing the original b-boy crew, the Crew Masters, in 1983, which eventually caught national attention with the hip-hop pioneers. They are slated to be inducted into the Universal Hip-Hop Museum upon it’s opening. Please see the link below to read more about Timm’s love for the culture.

He has endured a great many struggles in his lifetime, including chronic illness, financial difficulty, and being a colorblind artist. Though he was never financially successful, he was the richest man we knew. He always aimed to encourage people every day through his art and life. 

Timm touched the lives of thousands of people. His influential love and passion was contagious.  Most met him from afar, watching high on top a scissor lift as he brought color and life to the walls of their school.  He saw the value of everyone and loved to share in their stories and experiences.  Whoever knew him would tell you that he completely relished life and was full of joy and laugher. His smile was contagious.

Some of the things that he enjoyed were the hip-hop culture, graffiti art, Legos, movies, any kind of music, technology, surf life, Route 66, Star Wars and his large family. He was incredibly talented and ambitious with home projects and gardening. But most of all he loved the Lord and desired to honor him above all. Timm was married to Vicki Etters for 20 years, he is also survived by his mother Adrienne Brouk, his brothers Scott (Karen) Etters and Jeffrey Etters. He’s preceded in death by his father George Etters and a sister Debbie Schmidt. Timm and Vicki were members of Harvest Bible Chapel in Rolling Meadows where services will be held for Timm on Sunday, September 12, 2021 with visitation from 11:00 AM until 4:00 PM, with a Funeral Service at 2:00 PM.  Interment private for the family.

Timm’s last wish was to complete the documentary of his life, which he started November 2020. His recent bout with cancer gave him even more motivation to see the project completed. He planned to fund it with proceeds from the copyrights of his work, which die with him. Please consider a gift to make Timm’s life-long dream come true. For more information on how to give please visit www.TimmEttersFilm.com

Please visit his website for the full bio and the feature publications.

https://timmetters.com/about-timm
https://timmetters.com/jyro-hiphop