Dad dies after helping son move into college dorm, reports say. ‘He was always there’
Jeremy Tillman was helping his son move into his dorm at Arkansas State University when loved ones noticed something was wrong, according to local news reports.
“He came through the door and he was in obvious distress,” his fiancée, Elizabeth Goodson, told KARK. “He just had a very sudden medical event as we were moving things in. I guess he may have strained too hard.”
Arkansas State University Police responded to a report of someone not breathing at about 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 19, in the Honors Living-Learning Community building. Saturday was the university’s official college Move-In Day.
The 45-year-old father was on the floor, and several people had begun CPR, according to the police report obtained by McClatchy News. An officer used an automated external defibrillator — used to help those in sudden cardiac arrest — and “several rounds of CPR were done” while waiting for an ambulance, the police report said.
The dad later died at a hospital, KAIT reported.
“Chancellor Todd Shields and Arkansas State University extend deepest condolences to student Jace Tillman,” the university said in a statement to McClatchy News. “The university community will continue to support Jace and keep his family in their thoughts and prayers during this very difficult time.”
The Russellville man was a father to six children and a grandpa to two grandchildren, according to an online obituary. He loved to shoot guns and work on cars, but he most enjoyed being with his loved ones.
“If he could help it he would never miss any of their events and he was always there,” Goodson told KARK.
Hannah Brazil described her father as a “well respected and loving man that always put his family first, and never stopped putting a smile on the face of everyone he interacted with.”
A funeral for Tillman was scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 23.
Russellville is about 157 miles southwest of Jonesboro, where Arkansas State University is located.
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