Walter “Buddy” Thomas Tillman, Jr., 78, of Morgantown passed away on Friday, August 7, 2015, in Morgantown. He was born on July 1, 1937, in Cologne Panama, a son of Maria A. Aguilar Tillman, who survives in West Palm Beach, FL, and the late Walter Thomas Tillman, Sr.
Also surviving are his children, Walter “Bud” Thomas Tillman, III and his wife Jody of Pittsburgh, PA, and Teresa Johnson of Gilbert, AZ; four grandchildren, Anthony “Tony” Tillman of Renton, WA, Jennifer Tillman of Queens Creek, AZ, Jason Johnson and his wife Lauren of Gilbert, AZ and Juliet Johnson of Gilbert, AZ; three great-grandchildren, Emily and Ethan McAfee and Ava Johnson. His brothers George Tillman, Glenville, PA; James Tillman and his wife Georgine, West Palm Beach, FL; and his sisters, Maria McGlynn, West Palm Beach, FL, and Linda Brighton, of Bartlett, IL.
He is also survived by his former wife, Terrah “Terri” Alfred Tillman, who was with him until the end; and her family, his mother-in-law, Shirlee Alfred; brothers-in-law, Steven J. Alfred, Theodore “Ches” Alfred; and James K. Alfred; sister-in-law, Charlotte “Jodi” Piscura and her husband Jeff; and his nieces and nephews, Stephanie J. Alfred, Daniel R. Piscura, Emmalee E. Alfred, Dillon J. Piscura, Aubree D. Piscura; and Abbie N. Alfred. He was preceded in death by his father-in-law, James R. Alfred, and his brother-in-law, Daniel E. Alfred.
Buddy had served in the US Army, and he earned his degree in Commercial Art and Fine Arts from Philadelphia College of Art in Philadelphia, PA. In 1979, he became a “Board Certified” Ocularist, was self-employed for 45 years, and was the only Ocularist in the State of WV. In 1980, he began working at the WVU Department of Ophthalmology, now the WVU Eye Institute, where he retired in March 2013. He gave so many patients back their lives by hand-making their artificial eye.
He was a member of the American Society of Ocularists, and was also a Fellow in the ASO. He was the first ocularist to write and have published a book on ocularesty, “An Eye For An Eye.”
Art was his passion and hobby, and he surely will be painting many masterpieces in Heaven.
Family and friends will be received at Burnside Funeral Home, 607 S. Virginia Avenue, Bridgeport, from 3-7 p.m. on Wednesday, August 12, 2015, where services will be held at 7 p.m. that evening with Reverend Dr. Ken Ramsey presiding. Military Funeral Honors will be accorded by the Harrison County Honor Guard.