Vikki Moss was a focal point in the Springwood community for decades as a co-owner of the town's newsagency.
So when the newsagency holds a World's Greatest Shave fundraiser in her honour on Saturday, March 30 her family hopes the community turns out to support the cause.
Mrs Moss died from the blood cancer, multiple myeloma, on January 20 this year - a battle she never complained about or many of the newsagency's customers were even aware of.
"A lot of people didn't even know she was sick... She never whinged or said 'why me'," said her husband, David Moss.
Before starting the newsagency with business partners in 1989, Mrs Moss was a teacher at Winmalee High School from 1985 where she was known as Miss Ballard at the new school. She met David when he started teaching there a year later and the couple were married in 1988.
"She was a wonderful woman. I'm so glad I had 36 years with her," he said.
Mr Moss said some customers still come into the newsagency today and cry about the loss.
"She had a really big impact on a lot of our customers... I didn't realise how many people she had affected so positively just by talking to them," he said.
Mrs Moss' children Lyndon, Lachlan, Kelsey and Natalie will take part in the World Greatest Shave at 11am - either shaving their hair or beards or cutting ponytails. Lachlan, Kelsey and Natalie will also be donating their hair to be used for wigs for cancer patients. David Moss will be colouring his hair and was even contemplating a mohawk when he spoke to the Gazette.
There will be a stall selling cakes, jams, chutneys and more from 8am with all sales donated to the Leukaemia Foundation. A fundraising raffle will be drawn at the end of the day, with tickets available for purchase at the shop on the day as well as in the lead-up to the event. People can also join to shave or colour their hair on the day for a small donation.
People can donate directly at the World's Greatest Shave website or at a donation box at the newsagency in Macquarie Road. For more details visit the event's Facebook page.
With a target of $20,000 the event has already raised more than $14,000.
The Moss family is passionate about the fundraising cause and the care and treatment Vikki received following her August 2019 diagnosis.
David said she had had "four-and-a-half years of the most amazing treatment" at Nepean Cancer Care Clinic while he described the palliative care at Springwood Hospital as a "beautiful experience for the family".
Kelsey Moss said the fundraiser is about more than her mother.
"Everyone who comes into the newsagency has been touched by cancer in some way... When you can have a practical impact on changing that result for other people, that is a big part of the motivation [to hold the fundraiser]," she said.
