Linda Sue “Tilley” Harris passed away peacefully on Friday, June 2nd.
Tilley was born in Indianapolis, Indiana on September 15, 1959, to Dorris and Larry Lamping. She was raised in Beech Grove, Indiana where she attended Holy Name grade school and Roncalli High school. Tilley was active in numerous activities, but perhaps her favorite was band, where she was a member of the rifle corps drill team that went all the way to the state finals. Tilley was a gifted athlete, she enjoyed swimming, softball, kickball, water skiing, ice skating, and roller skating (plus many more). She competed in the Scarborough Peace Games in Canada for table tennis and finished second in her age group and as a young swimmer, Tilley competed at State level in the butterfly stroke.
Tilley later became a Microsoft Trainer and Database Administrator and traveled the country teaching IT focused classes. She later used her experience in the field to create Infopoint Corporation, a company focused on providing IT training solutions to several large companies in the Indianapolis area.
Tilley retired in 2012 along with her husband, Michael “Doc” Harris. The couple enjoyed traveling, golf and bicycling. They later discovered pickleball and Tilley took to the game immediately, using her table tennis skills to hone her game.
Tilley and Doc spent several years enjoying their home on the golf course in Carmel, Indiana where she was very involved with the women’s golf groups. They also volunteered as committee chairs for the LPGA IWiT event at The Brickyard, where she was in charge of the Standard Bearers for 3 years.
In 2015 Tilley and Doc moved part time to the Villages, eventually becoming full-time residents in 2019. Tilley loved her life in the Villages, making new friends, playing pickleball and golf and riding her golf cart whenever she possibly could. She thought nothing of taking an hour-long cart ride to the north side of the villages to play pickleball with her friends. In her free time, Tilley worked on scheduling pickleball tournaments and teaching others how to play Pickleball. She also loved showing friends and family the place that she so adored.
Tilley had a smile that lit up the room and made everyone smile along with her. She loved people, always putting others’ welfare before her own. When she was playing a sport, she was a strong competitor, but never lost sight of what she considered important: fun and exercise. She made it a point to make all players comfortable with the game. One her favorite quotes was “I’ve seen the prizes, and they’re not that great!”
Tilley will be sorely missed by her family and the numerous friends she made here in the Villages, but we can take comfort in the fact that she passed from her loving family here on earth, to the loving embrace of her Lord and Savior.
Tilley is survived by her husband (Mike “Doc” Harris), her children Gretchen Bredemeier (Brian), Mark Shanklin(Lexi) and Kate DeVinney (Joseph), her siblings, Jean Lamping, Kathy Lamping Puntarelli and Paul Lamping (Debbie), and her grandchildren, Scarlett, Elsie and Shepherd Shanklin.
A Ceremony of Life will take place at Okahumpka recreation center on Saturday, July 1st from 9am to 11am. Pickleball and golf attire will be appropriate.