Margaret Jean Nowlin

Margaret Jean Tiller Nowlin passed away in the early morning hours on Friday, August 18, 2023, just a few days after her 73rd birthday. She had been battling Alzheimer’s disease for many years. She lived a beautiful life serving others as a registered nurse, volunteering her musical talents, and brightening countless lives with her smile and infectious laughter. Her strong, independent spirit and caregiver’s soul made her a fierce advocate for others, a healing presence for patients and their families faced with terminal illnesses, not to mention the absolute best Mom in the whole world.

Margaret Jean was a vibrant, feisty, woman talented in so many ways. She played piano and organ for multiple churches for decades, led choirs as chorister, brought to life special solo, duo, and group performances that provided her fellow congregants peace and love in times when that was needed, and laughter and entertainment when those things were called for. She also volunteered in memory care and other health care settings, using those same musical gifts to brighten the lives of patients and residents in the Lynchburg area. She was also gifted with an unwavering positivity, remarked upon by almost everyone who knew her, even when faced with seemingly relentless adversity in life.

Married to her first husband in 1973, she had two children - Heather and Bryant - and provided for them through good times and bad. She became a single mother in 1986, and returned to the workforce to provide for her family. This is where her feistiness, her independence, her intelligence, her esteem for education, her devotion to her goals, and her unstoppable dedication to caring for others all got their chance to shine. She enrolled in Lynchburg General Hospital’s School of Nursing and became a registered nurse. During her time in school, she worked 40 hour weeks at local retail stores to provide for her children, and graduated with the distinction of class salutatorian in 1992. Her more than twenty-year nursing career included work in oncology, home health, and hospice, for University of Virginia Hospital, Virginia Baptist Hospital, and Gentiva Health Services.

In 1985, after the traumatic passing of her mother Clara, to whom she had been especially close, Margaret Jean experienced a crisis of faith. She left her beloved Elon Baptist Church congregation for a time and joined another loving congregation as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She served again as pianist, organist, and chorister, first for the Amherst branch and then for the Lynchburg Ward of that faith. She also eventually served as Sunday School Teacher and Relief Society President during her time there. In her last years, although not active in either religion, she maintained her stalwart spirituality, her love for and dedication to Christ, and always identified as Baptist whenever asked for a religious preference.

Margaret Jean never met a stray animal that she could bear to turn away. During her time living in the rural area of Elon, Va., she loved and spoiled countless dogs and cats (and even a couple of guinea pigs that one time). She was dedicated to the ASPCA and Humane Society as a donor, supporter, and volunteer. She lived independently in that area of Virginia for nearly 50 years, until moving in with her daughter in Salt Lake City, Utah, for a little help related to her battle with Alzheimer’s. She spent her last year of life at Legacy House of Bountiful, a beautiful, vibrant, and caring facility that matched her lifelong values and brought her great joy. She lived an amazing life full of resilience, service, music, love, and laughter.

She is survived by her daughter Heather [Justin], her son Bryant [Kimberly], and five grandchildren - who were all able to spend time with her in her final weeks of life, and experience her caring, fun-loving, and hilarious personality a final time. She is also survived by her second husband Randall Clark, her brother Frank Tiller [Jackie], and by many cousins, nieces, and nephews.

Memorial services will be held on Saturday, September 16, 2023 at 3:00 p.m. EDT at Elon Baptist Church in Elon, Virginia. The address is 145 Younger Dr. Madison Heights, VA 24572. The family is accepting gifts of flowers for the service or donations to the Alzheimer’s Association of America in honor of Margaret Jean.

https://www.alz.org/get-involved-now/donate