Obituary

Tilly Joyce Ortiz was born on March 3, 1933 in Honolulu, Hawaii to Rose Torres and Henry Ortiz.

Tilly was a seamstress. She graduated from dress making school in Hawaii in 1949. She was known for making clothes for all of the family's major events including proms and complete wedding party dresses and tuxedos, mastering her own custom designs.

Singing was another passion of hers, with a soft beautiful voice; she always had a classic song to sing, writing her own poems and feelings as lyrics.

Raised in Hawaii, she married Jesse Miller and gave birth to her first two children Anthony Zane Miller and Robert James Miller. She would later marry James Petway and gave birth to Andre Ramon Petway and Jeffery Orlando Petway. Years later through her close companion Ester Bryant Holsey she would meet Samuel Frederick Holsey and give birth to Young Samuel Frederick Holsey, Nathan Winn Holsey, Scott "T" Holsey and her only daughter Salena Rose Coleman. As the story goes, she continued having children until she had a girl.

She spent her adult years living in California moving between Reseda, Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Palmdale. For a period of time, Tilly returned to Hawaii to spend time with her mother.

In the 1970's she found a serious love for a CB radio, known to the world as "Tokyo Rose." Also an excellent cook, Tilly used her passion for food as the head cook for the VA Hospital in Long Beach, California.

She was preceded in death by her siblings Henry Ortiz Jr., James Luther Ortiz, Diana DeCosta, Raquel Torres James, triplets – Ruby, Jewel & Sybil Ortiz and is survived by siblings Norma DeCosta, Earl Zitro Ortiz, Joyce Mack, her children, #8(daughter), #7, #6, #5, #4, #3, #2, and #1 sons. She leaves behind 35 grandchildren, 28 great grandchildren and a host of other family and dear friends.