A family has been left devastated after a beloved dad-of-five collapsed and died while helping his son move into a dorm for the new semester at Arkansas State University.
Jeremy Tillman, 45, had been engaged to mom-of-six Elizabeth Goodson, 39 for less than two months after proposing to her at the ancient Machu Picchu monument in Peru in June.
But the car salesman from Russellville, Arkansas, suffered a ‘very sudden medical event’ as the couple helped son Jace Tillman start his new life at the college in Jonesboro.
‘He came through the door and he was in obvious distress,’ Goodson, 39, said.
‘He just had a very sudden medical event as we were moving things in.’
Tillman was helping son Jace (right) start a new life at Arkansas State University when the tragedy occurred
Tillman had become a devoted father and step-father to a family of 11 children
His death came less than two months after proposing to fiancée Elizabeth Goodson at the spectacular Machu Picchu monument in Peru
The grandfather-of-two had stopped breathing and foam was ‘pouring’ out of his mouth, Today reported.
Emergency responders performed CPR and used a defibrillator in a bid to restart his heart but he was declared dead after arriving at St Bernard's Medical Center.
‘I realize now why you always told me I was strong,’ daughter Hanna Brazil wrote on Facebook.
‘You knew one day I would need the strength to bear your loss. I just never imagined it would come this soon.
‘My sweet father, this feels unreal.’
Goodson, who wore her engagement dress to the funeral, said the dad-of-five treated her six children like his own ‘without hesitation’, and was the ‘epitome of what a man and father should be’.
‘He just took everyone in and loved them like his own, so he is deeply loved by all of his children,’ she told KARK.
‘Despite working full-time and part-time at home, he rarely missed important events, and he always made time for movie nights, soccer in the yard, or pull-up competitions.
Son Jace posted a series of heartbreaking photos of his early life with his father
Daughter Hannah described him as a 'well respected and loving man that always put his family first'
The car salesman was the 'epitome of what a man and father should be’ his fiancée said
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 your word.
'There is just a void in our lives that will just never be filled, he was irreplaceable.'
Son Jace posted a moving montage of childhood photos featuring him and his dad 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 ensure everyone had the things that they wanted and needed, often to his own detriment,’ Goodson said.
‘I know a lot of people often say it but he never met a stranger, he was always really friendly, outgoing and everyone loved him.
‘As a family everyone just leans on one another. We have a good circle of friends and this is a great community to lean on everyone just kind of rallies around one another.’
The couple was looking forward to their new life together after returning from Peru
Elizabeth wore her engagement dress to her fiancé's funeral
The engagement trip yielded a treasure trove of memories but the photos were to 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,’ his obituary recorded.
‘I will say the school did a very good job of assisting in every way possible and making sure everyone was moved,’ Goodson said after his death on
‘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 guess he may have strained too hard.’
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