Margaret Willis

Funeral Service

All services will be private.

Obituary of Margaret Tillman Willis

Margaret “Bitsy” Tillman Willis died July 22, 2018 at Potomac Falls, VA. She was born on July 24, 1930, near Fort Stockton, Texas, to ranchers Alvin Young and Margaret Latimer Clark Tillman. All three of her beloved siblings predeceased her: Alvin Young “A.Y.” Tillman, Jr. (d.  1943 while a 1st Lt. In the U.S. Army Air Forces), Frank Tillman (d. 2011), and Sadie Hudson (d. 2011).

She married Bernard John McGreevy Willis on July 8, 1950, in Menard, Texas. They raised five children in Dunmore and Waymart, PA.

Bitsy leaves four children:  Margaret Tusko of Beaverton, OR; Carolyn (Jack) Zechman of Herndon, VA; Chris (Jennifer) Willis of West Chester, OH; and Ellen (John) Mote of Wilmington, NC. A daughter, Susan Willis, predeceased her in 2008. She also leaves eight grandchildren who lovingly referred to her as Mommer. They are: Aaron (Crystal) Tusko, David Tusko, Christina Zechman (Keith) Brown, Emily Zechman (Peter) McCarthy, Eric Willis, Daniel Willis, Evan Mote, Katelyn Mote and Katelyn’s fiancé James Kiser; and two great grandchildren: Kieran and Maeve McCarthy.

After raising her children, Bitsy relocated to the Northern Virginia/D.C. area where she served as a house mother to the disabled residents of Cheshire House in Arlington, VA, in the early 1980s. She was a lover of books, art, classical music, cigarettes, and wine. Bitsy enjoyed taking art classes with her sister Sadie in exotic locations and playing bridge with her friends in the Parkfairfax neighborhood of Alexandria VA.

During her lifetime, Bitsy made a generous donation to the American Red Cross in memory of her mother. Her family invites you to do the same in her honor.

Share Your Memory of
Margaret