Patricia Ruth Tilghman

Our mother, Patricia Ruth Tilghman, 88, went to be with our Lord and Savior on Friday, November 4, 2022. She passed away in New Braunfels, Texas, in the hospital surrounded by her family and loved ones lifting her up with songs and prayers.

Patricia was born in Portland, Maine to John and Alice Philpot on July 16, 1934. She was raised in the Portland area and attended North Deering Congregational Church, where her father was a deacon. She graduated from North Deering High School and moved to Boston, MA where she was an animal nurse at Angell Memorial Hospital until she returned to Maine in 1955.

Shortly after returning to Maine, she met and married the love of her life, James H. Tilghman. In their 31 years of marriage, they had four children (Alice, James, John, and Dorothy) and were stationed at various military bases throughout the eastern and southern United States. Mom loved to travel and experience the different cultures of the various locations. They moved to Del Rio, Texas in 1969 where they were stationed at Laughlin, AFB. They decided to retire in Del Rio and make it their permanent home. As love stories sometimes go, their story had an expiration date and they divorced in 1986. Mom continued to live in Del Rio for most of her life and kept her house even after she relocated to the San Antonio area for more convenient access to doctors and medical care.

Mom was a homemaker in her young adult life. Being a mom and raising us was her greatest pride. She was an only child and she wanted a large family, so she made her own. She raised us to be a close family, even with a large age gap between her three older and her youngest. She raised us to be loving, to lean on each other and make family a priority. She raised us by the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you (Matthew 7:12).

When Mom became a single parent, with her last child at home, she began working outside of the home. She became somewhat of a community icon for Del Rio as the crazy crossing guard on Main Street. To ensure the safety of the kids she was protecting, Mom would scold the drivers and was even known to step in front of oncoming traffic to enforce her point: “Slow down! You’re in a school zone! There are kids here!” Mom received several community recognitions and was nominated for Del Rio Citizen of the Year, recognized by peers for her caring and protective nature.

There was never a time that our mother wasn’t there for us – night or day, even in her later years. Whether it was helping Alice while her kids were growing up, or helping James stay awake when driving with long hauls, or keeping John company with his early morning drive to work, or working all night with Dorothy through every homecoming season, Mom was always there as our protector, supporter and confidante.She loved being a grandmother, and while she would get embarrassed that she couldn’t keep count of how many great- and great-great-grandchildren she had, she was also a little proud that she had so many that she couldn’t keep up with.

Mom had a love for all animals. She ultimately left her job as an animal nurse in Boston because she couldn’t handle the suffering they would sometimes have to endure. She could sit for hours watching the birds and squirrels, and cursing the squirrels for getting the bird food and not just their corn. Her love for cows was planted as a young child spending her summers in Kingfield, ME with her aunt and uncle on their dairy farm. Of all the animals, her most cherished was her loyal companion through the end of her life, her little dog Squirt.

Those who knew her, knew she was a pistol and kept us all on our toes. There are so many stories to tell. She was a character and one of a kind. Mom was a handful, even from her early childhood, and she was proud of that. She loved to tell us how she would run down the street after the fire trucks in downtown Portland. She liked being a Hot Shot, and got a kick out of the shock factor and making people laugh. Many knew her for her common curse phrase “sugar tit”. Some of her grandchildren lovingly use this as her nickname.

Oh! If you didn’t know, we’d be in trouble for not telling you that she was from Maine. She was one of those good damn Yankees! You will likely never meet another person that was so proud of their New England roots. Even to her last day, she wanted the medical and hospital staff to know she was a good damn Yankee!

Our mother had a good life. She was a loving person. She never met a stranger and would do almost anything for anyone. When life gave her lemons, she made lemonade. She did her best to live every day to its fullest and get into as much innocent mischief as possible. When our parents divorced, mom had a hard time with it. With time, whether because it was her natural loving ways, her love of everything family, or willingness to do anything for her children, she somehow became best friends with our step-mother, Karen. After dad passed, the two were so close, they were like sisters. Karen lovingly cared for our mother and spoiled her just as much as we did.

Our lives will be a lot duller and a little quieter without our Hot Shot, but we are so blessed to have had all the wonderful times, lessons, trips and amazing memories with her. We could all take lessons from her on how to love life, be kind, and to use laughter and shenanigans to keep it light. This is how she raised us and it gives us the strength to celebrate her life.

Left to cherish her memory are her beloved dog Squirt, daughter Alice Sanchez (Lee) of Del Rio, TX, son James (Janice) of Harper, TX, son John (Karen) of Beggs, OK, daughter Dorothy Dietz (Brian) of Spring Branch, TX. Grandchildren: Richard Sanchez (Natalie), Allison Sanchez (Eddie), Kristy Tilghman (Gary), Brandon Tilghman, Amy Clayton (Brandon), Kristi Roden (Branden), Keith Tilghman (Tanisha), Scott Tilghman, Lindsey Konkler, Cody Konkler (Jaelyn), Jeremy Whitworth (Tiffany), and Kailey Dietz. She has 17 great-grandchildren and 4 great-great-grandchildren. One sister by choice Karen Tilghman.She was preceded in death by her parents, numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, and her great-granddaughter Hope Esparza.

For the San Antonio area, the family will receive friends from 6:00-8:00 PM, Thursday, November 10, at Porter Loring Mortuary North.

For the Del Rio area, the family will receive friends from 9:30 to 10:45 AM, Saturday, November 12, at First United Methodist Church before the service.

ServiceSaturday, November 12, 202211:00 AMFirst United Methodist Church100 Spring Street, Del Rio, TX

Rev. Michael Coplan will officiate the services. She will be cremated later and her ashes will be laid to rest at a later time in Windham, Maine at Smith-Anderson Cemetery, where she will finally rest with her parents.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Austin Humane Society in her name, https://austinhumanesociety.org/honor-a-loved-one/.