Joseph Tillson Sr.

Joseph L. Tillson Sr. VIRGINIA BEACH - Joseph L. Tillson Sr., CLU, a retired financial planner and insurance executive, died Sept. 25, 2008. Mr. Tillson was born in Mississippi and attended the University of Mississippi, George Washington University and the American College in Bryn Mawr, Pa. He was an examiner and auditor for the Federal Home Loan Bank Board. Later, he became CEO of Citizens Savings & Loan Association in Silver Spring, Md. While with Citizens, he was a member of the Board of Governors of both the Maryland State Savings and Loan League and the National Savings and Loan League. In 1950, he opened the Tillson Insurance Agency which carried a full line of personal, commercial and health insurance. In addition, he was a registered representative for the sale of stocks and bonds as well as an estate planner. Mr. Tillson was a member and past president of the Georgetown D.C. Kiwanis Club. He was also a member of the following organizations: Maryland and District of Columbia Life Insurance Agents Associations, Professional Insurance Agents, Almas Temple, Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md., and a member and past president of the D.C. Chapter of Chartered Life Underwriters where he was honored with the Outstanding and Distinguished Service Award. After his heart attack and bypass heart surgery, he merged his business with Lowe-Bonnani Insurance in Potomac, Md., which later became the Lowe-Tillson Insurance Co. In 1984, he built a home in Kingsmill on the James. Upon retirement in 1985, Mr. Tillson moved to Kingsmill where he was a member of the Kingsmill Golf and Sports Club. While living in Kingsmill, he served on the finance committee and the security committee. He also was a member of the Honorable and Ancient Order of Ball Hawks and a member of the Williamsburg Kiwanis Club. In the fall of 1996, he moved to University Village in Charlottesville where he served on the finance committee. In 1998, he moved to Norfolk and in 2004 he moved to Atlantic Shores in Virginia Beach. Survivors include his wife, Mollie and three children, Margaret Monke, Diane Ippolito and Joseph L. Tillson Jr. He is also survived by a sister, Annie Jo Glisson and a brother, John B. Tillson. Services and internment are private. Memorial contributions may be made to Shriners Hospitals for Children in Tampa, Fla., or to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn.