Ed Tillirson
February 28, 1946 - March 4, 2005
Remembering A Good Friend
The last thing Ed said to us was, "Don't you forget me." How could he ever think that was
possible? Ed was as good a friend as we've ever had. He made us look at the world in a
better way. He always made us smile. Ed left the world a better place for all who knew
him. Things just don't seem right since he's gone, though he'll live on in all of us who his
life touched. No, Ed, Tina and I will never forget you.
I find myself wishing every day I could just call him up and see if he'd like to go eat pizza at
Partners Pizza in Peachtree City. It's a favorite place of ours, a place Tina and I have
been going to since we met in 1978. Seeing Ed drive up in his beautiful '74 with Alice
riding shotgun would bring a smile to your face.
We met Ed in the summer of 1995 while looking to buy our first Corvette. After meeting
him for the first time at the Mazzio's Pizza cruise night in Newnan, GA, Ed told us to plan
on going to the Fall Corvette Expo in Knoxville, TN. He said we'd have our best chance of
finding our dream car, an LT-1, there. This began one of the best chapters of mine and
Tina's lives that lasted almost 10 years. We feel robbed not having had more years with
Ed, but at the same time, we feel so fortunate to have had the chance to call him our
friend. It's not everybody who gets to meet, much less be close friends with, an
exceptional individual like Ed.
Ed told us to look him up when we got to the Expo. We asked him where he'd be, and he
said once we're there to, "Just ask anybody." We were thinking, 'yeah, right', until we got
there and the first person we asked told us exactly where we could find Ed. At that point,
we knew he was "somebody" in the Corvette world.
Ed accompanied Tina and I at the purchase of each of our three Corvettes. He made sure
they were the real deal, something we could be proud of and enjoy for years. After going
over the car with a fine tooth comb, Ed would put his seal of approval on the car by giving
me a glance and a nod of his head. It was then I knew it was a buy. We looked at some
that looked fine to me, but Ed would give me the glance and shake his head no. That told
me it was time to leave. As we'd drive away, he'd tell me what all he found wrong with the
car, things I would never notice. Just because he helped us buy our LT-1, our Grand Sport
and our '74, we feel a connection with Ed through those cars that will likely keep us from
ever wanting to sell them. He was that special.
We were so lucky to attend functions at the National Corvette Museum and the Corvette
Assembly Plant with Ed in Bowling Green, Kentucky. He knew everything about each car
they had on display. We actually got to meet important people of the Corvette world
because of Ed. Ed was a walking, talking Corvette encyclopedia.
Ed founded Peach State Corvette Association in 1979. We joined the club after buying
our first Corvette, a targa blue '72 LT-1 roadster, and the small, family-like club became
our second family. I miss those days.
Ed was known as the guy who had thousands of friends. Not just acquaintances, but
good, close friends. He was still close with folks he went to elementary and high school
with. How many of us can say we still talk regularly with the people we went through
elementary school with?
So many times Tina and I talked about how lucky we were to be some of Ed's closest
friends. Each time we were with him, we'd come away realizing how fortunate we were.
He taught us so much and we're better people having known him.
Because of Ed's health problems, problems he in no way asked for, Ed had many reasons
to be bitter. Ed never let any of them get him down. He knew they would one day take his
life, but he always kept a smile on his face and thought it was more important to think of
others than himself. What a guy; a true model for all of us.
Like one of Ed's closest friends, Carl Etter, said, "It's hard to imagine a world without Ed
Tillirson." It can't be said any better than that.
The song that's playing was a favorite of this amazing man.
Ed, things will never be the same without you. We miss you so much.
possible? Ed was as good a friend as we've ever had. He made us look at the world in a
better way. He always made us smile. Ed left the world a better place for all who knew
him. Things just don't seem right since he's gone, though he'll live on in all of us who his
life touched. No, Ed, Tina and I will never forget you.
I find myself wishing every day I could just call him up and see if he'd like to go eat pizza at
Partners Pizza in Peachtree City. It's a favorite place of ours, a place Tina and I have
been going to since we met in 1978. Seeing Ed drive up in his beautiful '74 with Alice
riding shotgun would bring a smile to your face.
We met Ed in the summer of 1995 while looking to buy our first Corvette. After meeting
him for the first time at the Mazzio's Pizza cruise night in Newnan, GA, Ed told us to plan
on going to the Fall Corvette Expo in Knoxville, TN. He said we'd have our best chance of
finding our dream car, an LT-1, there. This began one of the best chapters of mine and
Tina's lives that lasted almost 10 years. We feel robbed not having had more years with
Ed, but at the same time, we feel so fortunate to have had the chance to call him our
friend. It's not everybody who gets to meet, much less be close friends with, an
exceptional individual like Ed.
Ed told us to look him up when we got to the Expo. We asked him where he'd be, and he
said once we're there to, "Just ask anybody." We were thinking, 'yeah, right', until we got
there and the first person we asked told us exactly where we could find Ed. At that point,
we knew he was "somebody" in the Corvette world.
Ed accompanied Tina and I at the purchase of each of our three Corvettes. He made sure
they were the real deal, something we could be proud of and enjoy for years. After going
over the car with a fine tooth comb, Ed would put his seal of approval on the car by giving
me a glance and a nod of his head. It was then I knew it was a buy. We looked at some
that looked fine to me, but Ed would give me the glance and shake his head no. That told
me it was time to leave. As we'd drive away, he'd tell me what all he found wrong with the
car, things I would never notice. Just because he helped us buy our LT-1, our Grand Sport
and our '74, we feel a connection with Ed through those cars that will likely keep us from
ever wanting to sell them. He was that special.
We were so lucky to attend functions at the National Corvette Museum and the Corvette
Assembly Plant with Ed in Bowling Green, Kentucky. He knew everything about each car
they had on display. We actually got to meet important people of the Corvette world
because of Ed. Ed was a walking, talking Corvette encyclopedia.
Ed founded Peach State Corvette Association in 1979. We joined the club after buying
our first Corvette, a targa blue '72 LT-1 roadster, and the small, family-like club became
our second family. I miss those days.
Ed was known as the guy who had thousands of friends. Not just acquaintances, but
good, close friends. He was still close with folks he went to elementary and high school
with. How many of us can say we still talk regularly with the people we went through
elementary school with?
So many times Tina and I talked about how lucky we were to be some of Ed's closest
friends. Each time we were with him, we'd come away realizing how fortunate we were.
He taught us so much and we're better people having known him.
Because of Ed's health problems, problems he in no way asked for, Ed had many reasons
to be bitter. Ed never let any of them get him down. He knew they would one day take his
life, but he always kept a smile on his face and thought it was more important to think of
others than himself. What a guy; a true model for all of us.
Like one of Ed's closest friends, Carl Etter, said, "It's hard to imagine a world without Ed
Tillirson." It can't be said any better than that.
The song that's playing was a favorite of this amazing man.
Ed, things will never be the same without you. We miss you so much.
Tina and I have several other, very good pictures of Ed and us over the years. She has
them hanging in our house in a collage she put together to display at Ed's funeral.
Stubborn as she is, she won't let me take the collage apart to scan the individual pictures
for display here. I'll win eventually, but she really doesn't want me to take it apart. She
actually thinks I won't be able to put it together again!
them hanging in our house in a collage she put together to display at Ed's funeral.
Stubborn as she is, she won't let me take the collage apart to scan the individual pictures
for display here. I'll win eventually, but she really doesn't want me to take it apart. She
actually thinks I won't be able to put it together again!