Bessie “Bett” Mae Tillman previously of Birmingham, Alabama, passed away in Nashville, Tennessee, on December 23, 2022, at the age of 92.
She was born on March 10, 1930, to Minnie Parker Ferguson and Paul Ferguson. She enjoyed ceramics, gardening, and spending time with her family. She was a devoted member of Taylor Memorial Methodist Church. She was a smart, creative, and hardworking woman who worked many jobs from picking cotton as a young lady to working at the K-Mart jewelry counter to put her daughter through college to working as a hospital operator in her later years. She also had a business delivering parts to service stations for many years. She was a force of nature who cherished family above all else.
She was preceded in death by her late husbands, James P. “Pete” Garner and Lowell H. Tillman, along with her daughter, Debrough “Debbie” Lynn Garner Stark. She leaves behind her son-in-law, Eric “Rick” Stark; granddaughters, Julie Stark (Matthew Vormbrock) and Amy Stark (Jennifer); and great-granddaughter, Emma Lynn Vormbrock. She was one of nine siblings with numerous extended family members who will miss her dearly.
Visitation will be at Boaz Carr Funeral Home in Boaz, Alabama, at 10:00 AM on Saturday, January 7, 2023, with a memorial service to follow at 11:00 AM. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations are made to Mary Queen of Angels in Nashville in Bessie Tillman’s honor.
