Larry Tillman

The world lost a kind-hearted soul when Larry Tillman left us on August 27, 2023. A native New Mexican through and through, Larry was born and raised in Wheatland, New Mexico. He carried the values of hard work and friendly banter with him his whole life.

Raised in farming and ranching, Larry graduated from Grady High School, married his high school sweetheart and had a young family with 3 children by the time he was 21. He worked for many years for Mountain Bell Telephone in Clovis, N.M. and then moved to Ruidoso where he was a Realtor specializing in farm and ranch properties for many years. He owned different small businesses along the way and enjoyed creating art and jewelry at different times in his life.

Farmer, rancher, mechanic, builder, a man of many talents - Larry could talk to just about anyone and build or fix just about anything. He had a talent for noticing and appreciating the smaller things in life as he went through his days - a pretty sunset, horses in a green pasture, a lone bull elk grazing in a meadow, an interesting piece of wood waiting to be made into something beautiful. Larry always had a soft spot for horses and dogs, loved to dance in his younger years and was effortlessly charming with his easy laugh and gentle smile.

He spent more than the last 25 years with Georgia Underwood, his wife whom he both loved and admired. He said many times that she made him a better person. Larry is survived by Georgia, his son Scott Tillman of Clovis, his daughter Cheri Tillman-Anderson (Ralph) of Las Cruces, two brothers, Lowell Tillman and Leland Tillman, three grandsons, Scotty, Shiloh, Syrel and their families, great grandchildren and many nephews, nieces and cousins. He was preceded in death by his oldest son Craig Alan Tillman, the mother of his children Karen Tillman, his parents, his older brother Laddie and younger sister Lana.

Larry Tillman will be greatly missed by the many people who loved him. Cremation has taken place and he will be memorialized in the small cemetery in Wheatland where his life started. A gathering to celebrate his life will be planned at a later date.

Larry would tell you that if you love someone, tell them. He always did.