Edward Tillman,Sr.

Edward Tillman Sr., age 92 of Little Falls, MN died Sunday, December 17, 2006 at the Lutheran Care Center in Little Falls, MN. Mass of Christian Burial will be held Wednesday, December 20 at 11:30 A.M. at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Little Falls, MN, with Rev. Nick Landsberger officiating. Burial will be in St. Adalbert's Cemetery. Friends may call on Tuesday from 4-7 PM at the Emblom-Brenny Funeral Service (East Side Chapel). and from 10:00 -11:30 AM on Wednesday, December 20 at St.Mary's Church in Little Falls, MN. Parish Prayers will be said at 5:30 PM on Tuesday at the funeral home. Ed was born to the late John Tillman and Mary (Ciminski) Tillman on December 6, 1914, the Roman Catholic Feast Day of Saint Nicholas, in Little Falls, MN. Ed attended Our Lady of Lourdes School from 1920 until 1929 where he learned the English language. After school, Ed was in the Civilian Conservation Corps for 30 months during the Depression, from the fall of 1934 to March of 1937, working in Sandstone and Hinckley, MN. After the C.C.C., Ed worked on a farm in Mound, MN for five months. Ed, along with two buddies, rode the box cars to the West Coast in the spring time of 1938. They traveled through Montana, Seattle, Oregon and California. Ed returned to Little Falls, MN in 1939 and began working at the Buckman Hotel. He spent the first couple of months as a dishwasher and then became a janitor for the remaining time there . Ed met his future wife, Dorothy, while working at the Buckman Hotel. Ed and Dorothy married on January 18, 1941 and were married for over 50 years. They had eight children over a 19 year period. Ed and Dorothy had several homes while living in Little Falls, MN. Ed worked at the Hennepin Paper Mill for 38 years as a machine tender from August 3, 1942 to January 6, 1980. Ed enjoyed gardening, hunting, fishing, playing cards with family and friends and most of all visiting with family and friends. He was a member of St. Mary's Catholic Church. Ed is survived by his children: Rose Ann Grotbo and husband, Roger, of Winsted, MN, Ed Tillman, Jr. and wife, Carol, of Little Falls, MN, Dave Tillman and wife, Patty, of Royalton, MN, Mary Esser and husband, Ron, of Berkeley, NJ, Don Tillman and wife, Cathy, of Greeley, CO and Jerry Tillman of Little Falls, MN; grandchildren, Darren Tillman, Steve Grotbo, Ken Grotbo, Tom Grotbo, Ryan Tillman, Kelley Tillman and Ben Esser; great-grandchildren, Jacob, Adam and Lydia Grotbo, Jordyn Grotbo, Nathaniel and Alexander Tillman and Morgan Tillman. Ed was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Dorothy; twin daughters, Deborah and Sandra Tillman; siblings, Mike, Stanley, Tony, Victor, Louis, Leo, Vincent, Clarence and Mary. Arrangements are with the Emblom-Brenny Funeral Service Little Falls, MN. 1-320-632-4393.