Roy Gilliam

Roy Gilliam, age 70, passed peacefully in his sleep on August 6, 2022. Roy was a caring husband, father, grandfather, artist, and friend. He enjoyed painting, puzzles, board games, scuba diving, bowling, motorcycles, sports, animals, “tinkering” with any home-improvement project deemed a “fifteen-minute job” by his wife Lela, and learning about the lives of all the people that were never strangers, only potential friends. Roy was known for his support and encouragement, and his love of turning art lessons into life lessons, reminding his students, “there always has to be a little bit of shadow to balance out the highlights”. Upon Roy’s passing, and in honor of his wishes, Roy’s last act of kindness will be the donation of his remains to the University of Tennessee Anthropology Department in hopes to help future generations. Roy is survived by his wife Lela Gilliam, daughters April (David) Harmon, Amber (Michael) Lane, son Evan (Myranda) Gilliam, children-by marriage: Amy (Tony) Brummett, J.P. Garrigan, and Lori (Matthew) Garrigan-Tsukas, as well as his grandchildren: Derek, Alec (wife-Becca), Jocelyn, Maddilyn, Casey, Jaxon, Lexi, Eli, Carter, Kahlan, Emma, Archer, and Sailor, and his great-grandson: Levi. The family would like to thank his home health RNs, as well as Amedisys Hospice for their dedication to his comfort and dignity throughout his illness and passing.