Sylvester Tilghman

Sylvester Tilghman was born on August 29, 1951. He was the son of the late Sylvester “Big Ford” Bolden, the late Ida Mae Bolden and the late Florentine Tilghman. He was raised by Big Ford’s parents, the late Elmer and Alice Bolden. Sylvester peacefully departed this life on Thursday, July 30, 2020 at the House of Pines in Easton, MD. He was 68 years old.

Sylvester received his education in the Caroline County public school system. As he was growing up, his grandfather, Elmer, would have him working on the family farm to make sure he wouldn’t be a stranger to hard work. This proved effective because after working on the farm, he would begin to work with his father, Big Ford, in their trucking business, which he loved. He would drive his tractor trailer from Bridgeville, DE to Exmore, VA to transport Seafood.

Sylvester also had a love for auto repair and decided to take on his father’s entrepreneurial skills and start a business of his own, which he took great pride in. He was the owner and operator of “Big Syl Auto and Tire Repair” shop. He would boast about his mechanical abilities and enjoyed teaching others how to fix a vehicle.  In his later years, Sylvester’s number one hobby was calling people on the phone 24-7 !!!

In addition to his parents and grandparents, Sylvester was preceded in death by his son, Sylvester “Juice” Seth, brothers; Lewis “Woody” Butler and Larry “Kingfish” Butler, and sister, Lola Ann Butler.

Sylvester leaves to mourn six children; Cortez Seth, Sylvester Tilghman Jr., Lakisha Johnson, Samantha McNamara (Dontah), Theresa Thomas, and Pandora Strand, 21 grandchildren; one sister, Roberta Butler, three brothers; Charles Tilghman, Jeffrey Butler (Ann), Troy Bolden, special friends; Arthur Allen (a.k.a. Brother June) of Baltimore MD, David Ricks, Elaine and David Hubbard and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. 

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