Mr. William "Bill" Tillman's Obituary
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William “Bill” Howard Tillman (born April 3, 1957) passed away, while listening to his favorite music, at 3 A.M. on June 6, 2020, after a long fight with prostate cancer and congestive heart failure. He was surrounded by his 3 favorite people: his wife, Debra, and two daughters, Sarah and Stephanie.
He is also survived by his siblings, Vickie (Bennie), Tommy (Libby), James, Bobby, and Richard (George) Tillman; his parents, Howard and Elizabeth Tillman; aunts, Peggy Fite and Carolyn Woods; uncle, Jimmy Holley; nieces, Heather Tillman and Brandi (Josh) Murray; grand-nieces and grand-nephews, Hailee and Hayden Tillman, J.J. Fleming, and Raelyn and Jackson Murray.
“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me,
‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’”
—Fred Rogers
This was a man of profound character. He was also a character himself, but what stands out most about him was the sheer selflessness he exuded every day of his life. With every breath he took, he was thinking about other people and how to help them.
Wherever he went, he made friends. He had a truly unique ability to discern who needed his help. Even on a Disney bus at midnight after a long day at the parks, he would still offer lengthy advice to anyone he thought might need it, whether it be about theme parks or general ways to make their lives easier. It didn’t matter if he didn’t even know their name.
He had a comforting spirit and always knew exactly what to say. Often, he didn’t have to say anything at all. He showed his love in everything he did.
Bill loved the simple things, like doing laundry and going grocery-shopping. When he was happy and relaxed, he’d be watching one of his many, many favorite Western shows, like Lawman or The Virginian. He had an enthusiasm for anything involving space or Westerns, so, of course, Star Wars was a natural fit for him.
In 2005, he splurged on a Darth Vader costume. But it wasn’t entirely for himself. In the years that followed, he made countless visits to movie theatres, charities, children with terminal illnesses, birthday parties, and even a wedding, where the bride fought him with a cake knife at the reception.
As if he weren’t already remarkable enough, he had a stunning capacity for remembering information about movies, including the names of actors in films he hadn’t watched in decades. He could recognize countless actors’ voices without even seeing their faces. And for movies he hadn’t seen yet, he could even guess upcoming dialogue.
But his amazing memory still wasn’t just for himself: he knew people's birthdays and favorite things and even phone numbers. He lived and breathed love.
After one of his brothers had a stroke, he visited him nearly every day at the hospital and brought him food and other comforts.
Debra, his beloved wife, had a few family members who felt out of place at family gatherings. Bill would always go out of his way to talk to them and make them feel welcome.
He had a great fondness for music and would often have days where YouTube would be running for hours, playing his favorite songs, of which there were many. If you need to feel his spirit with you, take the time to listen to happy or funky music. Listen to something that uplifts you, and he will be there.
Through all his health problems these past few years, Bill maintained an upbeat, optimistic attitude.
He was a wonderful, selfless man who spent so much time making the world a better place for so many people.
Anyone who ever met him knows that he was a beacon of light and hope and, most importantly, love.
In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Prostate Cancer Foundation, Alive Hospice, the American Heart Association, or Give Kids the World.
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