Donna Tillett

Donna Tillett, 71, passed away peacefully on Monday February 23, 2026. She was born on June 2, 1954 in Knoxville, TN to Charlotte and Dana Dunlap.

She is preceded in death by her husband, Steven Tillett; her son, Todd Tillett; her mother and father, Charlotte and Dana Dunlap and also by her mother-in-law and father-in-law, Dolores and Sam Tillett.

She is survived by her daughter Jessica (Eric) Leathers of Mt. Juliet, TN; her sisters, Missy (Sam) Dodson and Angie Dunlap of Knoxville, TN; her sister-in-law, Cindy (Mickey) Phelps of Leesburg, FL; her grandsons, Jacob Tillett of McEwen, TN; Austin (Lily) Bradley-Tillett of Fairborn, OH; Brian (Anja) Howard of Minneapolis, MN; Brady (Dakota) Howard of Clarksville, TN and also by her granddaughters, Darrian Howard of Clarksville, TN and Paxton Fairbairn of Geronimo, OK. She is also survived by an uncle, aunt, nieces, nephew, several cousins and several great-grandchildren, many friends and also those that cared for her that loved her like family where she lived before her passing.

She had several fun things that she loved to enjoy in life — from flowers, chocolate, Starbucks Frappuccinos and snacks. She also absolutely adored her family and always loved to spend time with them as often as she could. She also loved her sweet puppy girl, “Baby” who she is now holding in Heaven and also loved her Congo African Grey parrot “Beau” as well as many other fur babies and feather babies that she had during her life. She loved to travel with her husband to the Smoky Mountains, Destin, FL and also to several parts of Northern California. She was known to her grandchildren and great-children as Grandmomma and she loved them very much.

She graduated from Belmont College with an Associates Degree in Nursing in 1986. During her career, she worked as a Registered Nurse in the Operating Room at Parkview Hospital, Summit Medical Center and Centennial Medical Center. She also was the Coordinator of Bariatric Surgery for several years before she retired early in 2010. She loved her work and caring for her patients and always loved to talk to people about her career — even well into retirement.

She is loved and missed by so many.

The family will hold a Celebration of Life service at a later date and will announce details when they become available.