Millie Jane Pittman Tillery

Millie Jane Tillery, went to her eternal rest on Friday, December 10, 2021. She slipped away peacefully in her sleep. Millie was born on December 16, 1926, to the late Ollie Pittman Sr., father and Annie Lee Pittman, mother of Halifax, North Carolina. She was married to William M Tillery on February 3, 1946, in Halifax, NC when she was 19 years old. They were married for 49 years and together, they raised 8 of 9 children in Chesapeake, VA, losing a child in his early age, Donald “Donnie” Tillery. When her husband William was diagnosed with Alsheimer’s, she took on the role as caretaker for him until he passed away on January 6, 1996.

Millie Jane was a housewife most of her life, where she raised all her eight children, sixteen grandchildren, most of her twenty-seven great grandchildren, and is dearly loved by her four great great grandchildren. Prior to that she worked as a Domestic Engineer at the Federation of Garden Clubs of Norfolk, and at Norfolk Cleaners. She lived in Virginia Beach for over 30 years
of her life with her daughter Cecelia Rush, where she babysat most of her great grandchildren, and hosted Thanksgiving dinners with her famous pork barbecue and collard green dishes. During those years, she was popular among the young, for her wise and funny stories, her dance moves, and terms of endearment. She never knew a stranger and would feed the neighborhood children. She was known to all as Grandma.

Millie was a wise woman, loved Jesus and was a powerful prayer warrior, where she led prayer and bible studies in her home in Virginia Beach with her extended family. Oftentimes in tough situations she would say, “I won’t complain”. She sang in the choir in her early days at the Old Mount Zion Baptist Church in Norfolk. All her family will remember her voice while singing old
spirituals around the house, quite often changing the words according to the season in her life.

She was an active member of Burning Bush Worship Center located in Norfolk, VA. prior to her illness. She attended Prayer and Praise and Bible Study faithfully. Millie was diagnosed with Dementia in 2009 and shortly after that went to live in Chesapeake, VA with her daughter Delia Holloway who cared for her for 10 years.

Millie has joined her predeceased family in heaven,husband William M. Tillery, children Ruth Barrett and Donnie Tillery, children in-laws Anthony Waheed and Sally Ruth Tillery, and her siblings Roy, Annette, Addie, Percy and Tang Pittman. Millie is survived by her children, Johnny Tillery (Cassandra), William Tillery, Linda Waheed, Cecelia Rush, Ophelia Nesbitt (Thomas), Delia Hollway, and Ann Fuller (Clifford). And a host of grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great great grandchildren.