Mary Good Tilley Belton

Mary Good Tilley Belton, 85, of Mount Airy, NC, passed away Wednesday, February 8, 2017, in Tappahannock, VA. Mary was born July 8, 1931, in Bluefield, WV, to the late Buford and Eva Good, who later returned to Mount Airy, NC, and raised Mary with her brother and sister, Larry Buford Good and June Good Snow, who both preceded her in death. She graduated from Appalachian College in Boone, NC, and married Jack Preston Tilley on December 27, 1951, in Mount Airy, NC. Together they started a family and produced four children. For more than thirty-five years, she taught school for the Surry County School System, touching the lives of hundreds of young people and enriching all she instructed. Mary loved animals and rescued many dogs and cats from starvation and abandonment. Alzheimer’s disease stole the last twelve years of her life, resulting in residency in a memory care center in Kilmarnock, VA, where she received loving care administered by her son and daughter-in-law, Brad and Kathy Tilley. She is survived by her children, Steven Preston Tilley of Richmond, VA, Lynn Tilley Carter of Nashville, TN, Bradley David Tilley (Kathy) of Kilmarnock, VA, and Sandra Lee Wagoner (Rick) of Boonville, NC; and her former husband, James Belton of Mount Airy, NC. She also has seven surviving grandchildren and a great-grandchild. A memorial service will be held Monday, February 13, 2017, at 11:00 AM at Moody Funeral Home Chapel in Mount Airy, with the Rev. Griff Gatewood officiating. The family will receive friends Monday from 10:00 until 11:00 AM at the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Foundation at www.alzfdn.org or the humane society. The family extends sincere thanks to Tappahannock Hospital, which treated her in death with dignity and respect.

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