‘She was the heart of Ocean Drive’: North Myrtle Beach woman dies after COVID-19 battle
Cynthia Tilley was a one-of-a-kind woman with many nicknames, and she was easily known for her love of dancing — especially the shag.
Nearly everyone in North Myrtle Beach knew Tilley, and people were attracted to her fun, life-loving spirit. She will be remembered as a loving mother and grandmother, an independent woman, a giver and someone who lived her life to the fullest, family and friends say.
Tilley died due to complications of COVID-19 on Friday. She was 61.
“She had a spirit and energy that could never be duplicated,” said her daughter Brittany Tilley. “She cared more about giving than she did about receiving.”
Some of the best lessons Brittany Tilley said she learned from her mother were to never hold a grudge, always lead by example and put family first, she said.
“She was the light of our lives,” Brittany Tilley said. “We will miss her so much. This disease is just unbelievable and unfair.
“This virus doesn’t care how old or young you are,” she said. “Once it’s in your system, unfortunately, it’s not a good thing.”
Brittany Tilley said people need to take the coronavirus seriously, and need to wear a mask and wash their hands.
Career and life
Tilley spent her career as a nurse and later worked as an interior designer, Brittany Tilley said. She most recently worked at Papillon Salon in North Myrtle Beach, and was longtime friends with the salon’s owner Amy Howie.
“She was the heart of Ocean Drive,” Howie said. “She was my right-hand gal.”
Tilley spent much of her time at the salon and enjoyed decorating and greeting customers, Howie said.
“Everything in here has her presence on it and I think that’s the hardest thing,” Howie said. “She was a jack of all trades.”
Many people knew Cynthia Tilley as simply as “Tilley,” but her other nicknames were Cindy, CT, Queenie, C-Till and the name her grandchildren called her: Gigi.
Originally from Roxboro, North Carolina, she is survived by her children, Blake Tilley and Brittany Tilley and their father, Allan Tilley, her sister, Elizabeth Barts, and two grandchildren, Mackenzie and Avery Morley.
Longtime friend Wanda Strickland spent many nights dancing at Duck’s in North Myrtle Beach with Tilley.
“Some women think they have to have a man to dance,” Strickland said. “And we didn’t care ... we would just tear loose. That girl could dance like nobody else. She was the dancing queen.”
Strickland said she is still numb and in shock about losing her friend.
“It’s just so hard to accept,” she said. “North Myrtle Beach will never be the same without her smiling face out and about.
“I could have never asked for a better friend,” Strickland said.
A visitation will be held Wednesday at Lee Funeral Home in Little River.
