Marie Wright Tilley

Marie Wright Williard Tilley was born on March 7, 1927 and died on June 10, 2014.

After retiring, she began to make quilts. It became a passion, and her many quilts grace the homes of family and friends. Her real talent was bringing together the diverse squares of those in her life and melding those squares into a work of beauty. Her community in Ararat, in particular her church family at Mt. Zion Baptist Church, became a central piece of her life quilt. She always offered kind words, a helping hand, a poem for her Sunday school class members, and, of course, a quilt for church raffles. Age and pain intruded on her ability to complete the many quilting projects that she had in progress. Under the care of Ronda and Hank in their home and later at Brighton Gardens, she shared with her children moments of reminiscence, humor, and the boundless love and faith that filled her life.

Her parents, Katherine Hunter and Elijah Wright, her brothers, Jack, Thurman, and Alvin Wright, sisters Leo Easterling and Gertrude Wilkins Frye, and husbands, Fletcher Williard Jr. and Boyd Tilley, predeceased her.

Survivors: daughter, Ronda (Hank Ely) and son Mark (Joyce Bettini); stepchildren, Eddie and Lois Tilley, Brent and Brenda Tilley; grandchildren, Amy and Sarah, Beth and Brad.

Visitation was Friday, June 13 at Hayworth-Miller Funeral Home (Silas Creek Parkway, Winston-Salem, from 1-2 p.m., with the funeral following at 2 with Kermit Gray officiating. 

Memorials: Mt. Zion Baptist, 101 Inspiration Lane, Ararat, 27007; or a charity of one’s choice.