Furman Anthony Dillard

A TIME TO BE BORN AND TO DIE: Furman Anthony Dillard was born on May 5, 1950 to Jean Odell (nee Huddleston) and Furman Junior Dillard in Salem, Ohio. Furman departed this life on November 24, 2025 at home surrounded by his wife and children, with the assistance of Ann Arbor Hospice, at the age of seventy five.

A TIME TO LEARN AND TO SOW: His family moved to Detroit, Michigan when he was a toddler for work opportunities. Furman attended Detroit public schools, graduating from Mumford High School in December 1967. He attended Highland Park Community College for two years, studying accounting. He met, married and started his family life with Cheryl Renee Johnson in 1967. To this union was born one daughter and two sons. Cheryl passed away in 1974. Furman married Lareno McCall in 1975. To this union was born one son. To a union with Carol Ann McCrary was born one son in 1977. In 1978 Furman met and married Nancy Munnerlyn, with whom he would spend the rest of his life. To this union was born three daughters and one son.

A TIME TO LABOR: Furman started work at the age of fourteen and was consistently employed throughout his adult life as a men's club attendant, an insurance agent, a utility serviceman, a handyman, a construction foreman, a window installer, a cross-country truck driver and a Greyhound bus driver, a news agency district manager. He was an entrepreneur starting landscaping and security businesses, owning and managing three apartment buildings in Detroit. He was forced to retire due to health issues after 2000.

A TIME TO GIVE: Furman spent the remaining years of his life managing his health and giving back to his community. In 2012, he volunteered for a University of Michigan Left Ventricle Assist Devise (LVAD) study group, pioneering the use of a devise to prolong the lives of heart failure patients, bridging them to heart transplant and improving quality of life. At his passing, he was one of two recipients surviving longer than thirteen years in Michigan. He provided mentorship to potential recipients and feedback to the program. He initiated and provided onsite training for first responders and both Ann Arbor firehouses. His image continues to be seen representing UMHS cardiac programs in satellite clinics and roadway banners making him an Ann Arbor celebrity.

A TIME TO LOVE: Furman enjoyed life spontaneously and in the moment. He loved his family and his friends. He loved good food and good times. He was grateful for every minute and every day that he was given. Nature was the church where he worshiped. In his youth, he rode horses, raised livestock, hunted, fished and flew airplanes. In maturity, he spent hours visiting conservatories, gardens, waterways, lakes, forests and parks across the country. Experiencing creation and all that life offered made him feel truly alive.

A TIME TO CHERISH: Furman was preceded in death by his father Furman J Dillard, first wife Cheryl (nee Johnson) and son Fashi Dillard. He leaves to cherish his memory his wife and companion of forty seven years, Nancy Munnerlyn; children Tamara Dillard, Furman (Chedeana) Dillard, Anthony Dillard, Eric Dillard of Ohio, Naomi (Siafa) Hage, Elizabeth (Levi) Wunderlich of North Dakota, Lillian Dillard of Beijing, China and Alijah (Buse) Dillard: twenty seven grandchildren, eighteen great-grandchildren; mother Jean O Dillard and sister Phyllis Dillard of Mt Juliet, Tennessee and sister Vinesa (Bernard) Fears of Atlanta, Georgia; and a host of relatives and friends.

The family thanks you for your support, thoughts and prayers. Be well.