A family is devastated after a beloved father of 11 collapsed and died while helping his son move into a frat house for the new semester at Arkansas State University.
Jeremy Tillman, 45, had been engaged to fiance Elizabeth Goodson, 39, for less than two months after proposing to her at the ancient Machu Picchu monument in Peru in June.
But the Russellville, Arkansas car salesman had to deal with a “very sudden medical event” when the couple helped son Jace Tillman start his new life at college in Jonesboro.
“He came through the door and was in obvious distress,” Goodson, 39, said.
“He just had a very sudden medical event while we were moving stuff.”
Tillman was helping son Jace (right) start a new life at Arkansas State University when the tragedy happened
Tillman had become a devoted father and stepfather to a family of eleven children
His death came less than two months after he proposed to his fiancé Elizabeth Goodson at the spectacular Machu Picchu monument in Peru.
The grandfather of two had stopped breathing and foam was pouring from his mouth, Today reported.
Emergency responders performed CPR and used a defibrillator in an attempt to restart his heart, but he was pronounced dead after arriving at St. Bernard’s Medical Center.
“I now realize why you always told me I was strong,” daughter Hanna Brazil wrote on Facebook.
“You knew that one day I would need the strength to bear your loss. I just never thought it would happen so soon.
“My dear father, this feels unreal.”
Goodson, who wore her engagement dress to the funeral, said the father-of-five treated her six children “without hesitation” as his own and was “the epitome of what a husband and father should be.”
“He just took everyone in and loved them like his own, so he’s deeply loved by all of his kids,” she shared KARK.
“Despite working both full-time and part-time from home, he rarely missed important events and always made time for movie nights, yard football, or pull-up games.
Son Jace posted a series of heartbreaking photos of his early life with his father
Daughter Hannah described him as a ‘respected and loving man who always put his family first’
The car salesman was the ’embodiment of what a man and father should be,’ said his fiancé
His family remembered him for his love of “shooting guns, working on cars, and most of all spending time with his family.”
Daughter Hannah paid an emotional tribute
“He took me and my six children and chose to integrate us into his life without hesitation.
“He showed our children how a man should treat a woman, and how to be intentional with his words.
“There’s just a void in our lives that will never be filled, it was irreplaceable.”
Son Jace posted a touching montage of childhood photos of him and his father on Facebook, while another son, Jaymi Tillman, wrote on Facebook, “God, I miss you so much already.”
“He was selfless and always worked hard to make sure everyone had the things they wanted and needed, often to his own detriment,” Goodson said.
“I know a lot of people say it a lot, but he never met a stranger, he was always very friendly, outgoing and everyone loved him.
“As a family, everyone just leans on each other. We have a great circle of friends and this is a great community that everyone can lean on, just around each other.”
The couple looked forward to their new life together after returning from Peru
Elizabeth wore her engagement dress to her fiancé’s funeral
The engagement trip produced a wealth of memories, but the photos would be among the last taken
His family remembered him for his love of “shooting guns, working on cars, and most of all spending time with his family,” according to his obituary.
“I will say that the school did a very good job of helping in any way they could and making sure everyone was moved,” Goodson said after his death at
“We went there with him, and then driving home without him was, I think, one of the worst things I’ve ever experienced,” she added.
“I think he may have tried too hard.”