Mary Ann Tillman

Mrs. Mary Ann Tillman passed away peacefully at the age of 86 on Saturday, July 10, 2021 at her home in Sugar Land, Texas. She was born on June 22,1935 in Natchitoches, Louisiana to James Bate Thomas and Minnie Lee Williams.

Mary Ann grew up in Natchitoches, Louisiana. She moved to St. Louis, Missouri as a young teen under the guardianship of her older brother, George Johnson, and his wife Beatrice Johnson. Mary Ann met the love of her life, James Amos Tillman Sr., through a chance meeting while conversing with a friend at the end of Lewis Place, the street on which she and her husband would eventually own a home for more than 40 years.

Tillman (as James Tillman Sr. was called) and Mary Ann married on Christmas Eve in 1954 in St. Louis, Missouri. They were happily married for 62 years and the proud parents of nine children.

Mary Ann enjoyed many interests throughout her life including health and fitness, yoga, reading, classic movies, older homes, interior design, fine clothing and jewelry, Soul, Creole and Italian cuisine, as well as classical and Gospel music. Mary Ann's special love of classical music led to her employment with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra for many years. She also served as a private duty caregiver for many years.

Mary Ann took great pride in the fact that all of her children graduated from college, several with advanced degrees. Her children currently serve as professionals in many areas including nursing, engineering, social work, accounting, meteorology, education, and business development.

Mary Ann was preceded in death by her husband, James Amos Tillman Sr.; her parents, James Bate Thomas and Minnie Lee Williams; three sisters, Cuma Lee McKinney, Ruby Lee Parks and Patricia Ann Roberson; two brothers, George Johnson and Frank Thomas; and her daughter Anita Louise Tillman.

Mary Ann is survived by her sisters: Shirley Coburn, Stella Louise Richards, Linda Johnson, Carolyn Bobb, Dorothy Marie Thomas and Cassandra Williams and her brother Michael Thomas; eight of her nine children: Debra Ann, James Amos Jr., Nancy Delmar, Gwendolyn, Carol Ann, David Julius, Freida Lynn, and Brian Earnest; their respective spouses, eighteen grandchildren and thirteen great-grandchildren.

A visitation and memorial service will be held on Wednesday, July 21, 2021, at Paradise Funeral Home, 10401 West Montgomery Road, Houston, Texas. Burial will follow at Houston National Cemetery.