A father-of-eleven died suddenly while helping his son move into college, leaving his entire family devastated.
45-year-old Jeremy Tillman from Russellville, Arkansas, was assisting his son in an Arkansas State University campus residential building when he suddenly suffered a ‘medical event.’
Speaking to NBC affiliate KARK 4 News, his fiancée Elizabeth Goodson said: “He came through the door and he was in obvious distress.”
The 39-year-old continued: “I guess he may have strained too hard.”
Jeremy was helping his son, Jace, to move his belongings into the dorm when he suddenly collapsed. He was reportedly found on the floor with foam coming out of his mouth.
Paramedics performed CPR on the doting father and tried to restart his heart with a defibrillator before rushing him to St. Bernards Medical Center, where he tragically died.
Goodson, who wore her engagement dress to Tillman’s funeral, said: “We went there with him, and then driving home without him was, I think, one of the worst things I’ve ever experienced.”
Speaking about her late fiance’s life before he passed away, Goodson said he treated her six children like his own ‘without hesitation,’ adding he 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 expressed.
She also told Today that the doting dad was an ‘understanding parent’ who always showed up to his children’s ‘important events’ despite working full-time job.
In a statement about Tillman’s death, a spokesperson from Arkansas State University said: “Chancellor Todd Shields and Arkansas State University extend deepest condolences to student Jace Tillman.
“The university community will continue to support Jace and keep his family in their thoughts and prayers during this very difficult time.”
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