RURAL HALL, NC ~ Mr. Bernie Lester Tilley, 75, of Thacker Road passed away, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2004, at Kate B. Reynolds Hospice Home in Winston-Salem following a period of declining health. Mr. Tilley was born Nov. 16, 1928, in the Asbury Community, the son of the late John Frank Tilley and Annie Ester Ring Tilley. He attended Westfield High School, where he was a member of both the varsity basketball team and the track team. Mr. Tilley married his high-school sweetheart, Ola Arrington, of Westfield and they recently celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary. Mr. Tilley was a devoted member and had served as a deacon of the First Baptist Church of Rural Hall. He was retired from R.J. Reynolds Archer plant with 30 years of service. Bernie was a member of the Rural Hall Civic Club, Rural Hall Lions Club and a former member of the North Forsyth Lions Club. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army and served in the infantry during World War II. Surviving are his loving and devoted wife, Ola A. Tilley, of the home; a son, Michael Tilley, of California; a granddaughter, Lynde Carlyle and husband, Lloyd, of Advance; three great-grandchildren, Chandler, Callie and Connor Carlyle; a sister, Ersell Sheppard and her husband, the Rev. Lester Sheppard, of Pilot Mountain; and a number of nieces and nephews. Mr. Tilley was preceded in death by an infant daughter and five brothers, Jim, Glenn, Elbert, Clarence and Vance Tilley. The funeral service will be conducted at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 17, at Hayworth-Miller Funeral Home Chapel in Rural Hall with the Rev. Don Berry and the Rev. Phil Combs officiating. Burial will follow at Skyline Memory Gardens in Mount Airy. The Tilley family will receive friends for one hour before the service. Memorial donations may be made to Hospice and Palliative CareCenter, 1100-C S. Stratford Road, Winston-Salem, NC 27103 or to the First Baptist Church of Rural Hall, P.O. Box 387, Rural Hall, NC 27045. (Published in 'Winston-Salem Journal' on August 16, 2004)