Opal Faye Bryant Tillman

COOLIDGE, GA – Opal Faye Bryant Tillman, 98, of Coolidge, passed away peacefully on Thursday, April 10, 2025, surrounded by her precious family.

Funeral services will be held at 2:00 PM Sunday, April 13, 2025, at Pine Grove Baptist Church with the Reverend Stanley Norman officiating and assisted by Shana Lee Lampman. Interment will follow in Pine Grove Baptist Church Cemetery.

The family will receive family and friends from 5:00-7:00 PM Saturday, April 12, 2025, at Cobb Funeral Chapel.

Casketbearers will be her grandsons and honorary casketbearers will be her granddaughters.

If you knew her, you called her MaMa. Everybody did — because once you met her, she was yours, too.

Opal Tillman, known affectionately by nearly everyone as “MaMa,” left this world for her heavenly home after blessing us with nearly a century of love, laughter, hard work, and a little mischief. We will always remember MaMa as a larger than life, quick-witted, God-fearing, hard-working woman who left her mark on everyone she met.

MaMa had a saying for every situation — some wise, some hilarious, and some just a little bit quirky. You might’ve heard her say things like, “Looks like you jumped too far through your dress,” or threaten to “take a damp stick and beat the health out of you.” If she didn’t believe your words, she might have told you, “You ought to sleep good — you sure do lie good.” And if you were caught giving her a look, she was quick with, “Don’t look at me in that tone of voice.”

At home and on the farm, MaMa delighted in cooking for an army. With a sparkle in her eye, she would announce, “such as it is. It ain’t fittin’ to eat,” as she served hearty meals. When asking someone if they wanted a roll, she would declare, “well, get on the floor and roll, then”, while holding back a grin. Her cooking was not only sustenance, but a testament to her generosity, skill, and the deep love infused in every dish. She could whip up a fried pear tart that could make your “tongue slap your brains out”. All the farmhands and relatives that helped on the farm still talk about her food.

MaMa was a storyteller and a joke-teller — with a library of jokes stored in that sharp mind of hers, some of them just a touch inappropriate (but always unforgettable). Her homemade jelly was famous far beyond the family — and woe to the doctor or neighbor who forgot to return her jelly jars.

When asked about her well-being, a cheerful response was always ready: “I fine. Fine as frog hair split in the middle (or sometimes 3 or even 4 ways),” often followed by, “it’s hotter than a firecracker and it lit.” A closer look might reveal one of the 2 or 3 safety pins hidden in her clothes - she was always prepared - anywhere from church to the tobacco field.

She was tough — tougher than just about anybody. Whether working in the fields, picking or shelling peas faster than anybody could keep up, or playing checkers with the grandkids (never letting us win), MaMa set the standard for hard work. She gardened, canned, quilted, and took care of others all her life. Even into her 90s, she was making yo-yo quilts — a year-long labor of love.

And what a family she built — Her legacy endures in the fabric of her 100 plus descendants (and counting) and in the countless lives she touched. She often joked that she had “caused this mess,” but she was endlessly proud of it, counting grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren like badges of honor.

She was married to PaPa — her partner in life and love — and took care of him in his later years with devotion. Now, after waiting patiently in heaven for 20 years, we know PaPa was standing there ready to welcome her home and wondering what took her so long to get there.

Opal Tillman traveled to all 50 states and several countries, but her greatest adventure was the life she built right here among her family and friends. Holidays won’t be the same without her, but she taught us well — family is everything, and it’s up to us to keep gathering, keep laughing, and keep loving.

More than anything, MaMa loved her family and her Lord. She was the living example of a Christian woman: diligent, humble, prayerful, hard-working, hospitable, loving, and full of faith. She attended church with unwavering commitment until she was unable to go, and her life was a shining example of service and love. She loved deeply and openly, extending her arms wide enough to gather not only her own children and grandchildren but anyone else who needed a MaMa.

The world is a little quieter without her jokes, a little less sweet without her jelly, but heaven gained a strong, sassy, servant-hearted woman. We can only hope St. Peter appreciates a slightly off-color joke and has a fishing pole ready.

Thank you, MaMa, for every lesson, every laugh, and every memory. Your legacy of love and faith will carry on in all of us.

She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Theron Harding Tillman; parents, Thomas Alvin Bryant and Lucy Fenn Bryant; grandson, Justin Adam Lee; siblings, Lelia Pilkinton, Dorothy Johnston, Frances “Tiny” Hicks, Nell Grace Freeman DeLoach, Margie Wall and Mary Trimarco, Randolph Bryant, and Thomas Bryant; son-in-law, Jimmy Strickland.

Survivors include her cherished children, Tommy Tillman and wife Sarah, Hardy Tillman and wife Wanda, Rodney Tillman and wife Vickie, Terry Tillman White and husband Mike, Dorenda Tillman Strickland, Patty Tillman Lee and husband Wayne; her precious grandchildren, Mike Melton and wife Rhonda, Jackie Duncan and husband Donnie, Joey Tillman and wife Melanie, Robbie Bohman and wife Courtney, Kevin Tillman and wife Tammy, Kellee DeRiggi and husband Sal, Brian Tillman and wife Lisa, Jason Bohman and wife Katy, Andy White, Chad Strickland and wife Stephanie, Shana Lampman and husband Alex, Charity Parish and husband Brooks, Brad Tillman and wife Kerry, Kristi Whitaker and husband Brandon, Lucy Anderson, Tracey Harper, Brandice Carmichael and husband Jake, Jared Lee and wife Christina; forty-four great-grandchildren and twelve great-great-grandchildren; several other extended family members, church family and friends.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Colquitt Regional Hospice, PO Box 3548, Moultrie, GA 31776 and or the Alzheimer’s Foundation.

Cobb Funeral Chapel has been entrusted with arrangements.