Marlene Helen Tilley of Blue Ridge, age 65, passed away peacefully on Thursday, January 18, 2018 at the Union County Nursing Home in Blairsville, GA.Born on June 7, 1952, Marlene was a very special Down Syndrome child of God who lived a long and joyful life at her home in Blue Ridge with her parents, the late WH Tilley and Blanche Norwood Tilley. After her parents passed away, she was cared for by her devoted family members, along with outstanding caregivers in the family home and at Union County Nursing Home. A charming, social and well-spoken person, Marlene was often the life of the party in family or social gatherings, and she never met a stranger. She also knew many people in the community, and was sometimes the familys go-to person when we were trying to remember names. Marlene was renowned for her sense of humor and her penchant for cutting up and teasing family members and friends. She had a fertile imagination that was sometimes shaped by her mischievous spirit, and she told some legendary tales over the years. She loved all kinds of music, especially Dolly Parton and the Gaither Family Singers, and she was well-versed in country, gospel, pop, and rock and roll. She was quite the DJ, often playing tunes in her room from her large collection of 45 RPM records. She also loved good food, and fried chicken topped the list of her favorites, although there was little she did not enjoy. Marlene enjoyed shopping in department stores with her mother, sister and others, and she was a power shopper who knew what to do. She loved animals, especially the pet dogs the family had over the years, including Lady, Charcoal, Charlie, Jodie, Pepper and Sparky (or "Smacky," as she called the feisty little poodle). Marlene was one of the first clients at Mineral Springs Center in Blue Ridge shortly after it opened in early 1973. Her mother Blanche was one of the first board members at MSC and was a very effective advocate in the community to help get the much-needed facility for special needs people established. At the time, Fannin County and the Copper Basin area did not have a facility of its kind. In her almost 42 years of association with Mineral Springs Center, Marlene benefited greatly from the Center's educational, social and occupational programs, and she was honored with a retirement ceremony at MSC in January 2015. Marlene had a serious and business-like side with a strong work ethic like her parents, and she especially enjoyed it when the Center had contract assembly and other work projects in the facility. She took pride in having a job where she received a paycheck. Marlene had an extraordinary bond with her mother Blanche, and the two were inseparable for many years. Marlene and Blanche were a steady presence for years in their Sunday School class at Blue Ridge First Baptist Church, and they enjoyed attending social, musical, and fund-raising events together in the area and region. She was also a special and beloved member of her large extended Tilley-Norwood-Reed family, and she always looked forward to the lively reunions and gatherings in Georgia and Tennessee with these close-knit families. Marlene was a front and center star of these gatherings, and she reveled in the love and attention. Marlene is survived by her sister Margaret Tilley Middleton and brother-in-law Gene Middleton of Lilburn, GA, brother Bill and sister-in-law Kim Tilley of Epworth, niece and nephew Julia Middleton Slaughter and Justin Slaughter of Kennesaw GA, nephew Alex Middleton of Smyrna, GA, nieces Lindsay Tilley of Epworth and Paige Tilley of Blue Ridge, nephews Jamey and Josh Tilley of Epworth, great nieces Audrey and Amelia Slaughter of Kennesaw, and many cousins. The family will receive friends at Akins Funeral Home in Blue Ridge on Wednesday, January 24 from 5:00 PM until 9:00 PM. Funeral services will be held Thursday, January 25, at 12:00 noon at First Baptist Church in Blue Ridge, with the Rev. Bob Richardson officiating. Prior to the funeral service there will be a time of visitation at the church beginning at 11:00 AM until the funeral hour. Music during the service will be a selection of Marlenes favorite hymns. Interment will follow at Chastain Memorial Park in Blue Ridge with the following gentlemen serving as pallbearers: Jamey Tilley, Josh Tilley, Alex Middleton, Justin Slaughter, Johnny Scearce and Andy Middleton. Flowers will be accepted, or if you wish to honor Marlene with a gift to an organization in her name, please consider a donation to the Mineral Springs Center, P.O. Box 28, Blue Ridge, GA 30513 or First Baptist Church of Blue Ridge, 907 East Main Street, Blue Ridge, GA 30513. The family would like to give special thanks to the talented and compassionate caregivers who served in the family home and at Union County Nursing Home. These "angels on earth" understood and appreciated Marlenes special and sparkling personality, and they worked hard to make her comfortable and happy. Akins Funeral Home Blue Ridge in charge of arrangements. Please visit the Akins web site at www.akinsfuneralhome.com to view the online obituary and sign the guest book. . Visitation Akins Funeral Home - Blue Ridge Wednesday, January 24, 2018 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM 7871 Blue Ridge DriveBlue Ridge, Georgia 30513 Directions Funeral Service First Baptist Church of Blue Ridge, GA Thursday, January 25, 2018 12:00 PM 907 E. Main St.Blue Ridge, GA 30513 Directions