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DARIEN, Conn. Marie Tillman, the widow of an Army Ranger killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan, shared the story of coping with her husbands death at a fundraising luncheon Friday at the Country Club of Darien.
When her husband, Pat, decided to give up a promising NFL career to become a soldier after the Sept. 11 attacks, Marie stood by his side, she said, even though they were newly married and just starting their life together. She said she knew it was something he felt he had to do.
Tillman talked about receiving the news of her husband's death in 2004. She took comfort as she grieved, she said, from one of his final letters, which told her to go on with her life in the event he didnt make it back.
For me, it was coming to terms with the fact that this person whom Ive love and has been in my life for a really long time is gone, she told the audience of nearly 250 people. And the challenge is trying to find a way to pick up the pieces and put your life back together when its not turning out the way you thought it would.
The luncheon raised more than $130,000 for the Center for Hope and the Den for Grieving Kids, Family Centers critical illness and bereavement support programs. Terri Walker from Rowayton and KK Lowther and Heather Pech from Greenwich were the event's co-chairs.
Darien resident George Reilly was also honored with the Ray of Hope Award. Reilly, a partner at Siegel, Reilly and Conlong, LLC, sits on the Family Centers Senior Advisory Board and played a large role in the organizations merger with the Center for Hope in 2005.
Tillmans book, The Letter: My Journey Through Love, Loss and Life, will be released on June 26.
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