Alice "Alli" Tillman Baird

Alice "Alli" Tillman Baird, 87, of Charleston, South Carolina died peacefully Monday, September 18, 2017. Her funeral service will be held Monday, September 25, 2017 in St. Michael's Church, 71 Broad Street at 11:00 a.m. Interment, Old St. Andrew's Parish Churchyard. Arrangements by J. Henry Stuhr, Inc. Downtown Chapel.

Alli was born October 3, 1929 in New York, New York, daughter of the late Rear Admiral Edwin Hord Tillman, Jr. and Alice Rutledge Tillman. She was a proud Charlestonian by family and upbringing. Although an only child, Alli was surrounded and blessed with many first cousins, whom she adored and felt to be her brothers and sisters. The extended family of aunts and uncles in Charleston and elsewhere were loving and supportive of Alli throughout her life. She was a sensitive soul who loved reading immensely and would check out and easily read half a dozen books a week from the library. Alli loved antiques and was quite knowledgeable about them. She also loved to relate stories about the family, particularly the older generations and when reminiscing with her beloved cousin Benjamin Allston Moore, Jr., the two of them would have us rolling in laughter and tears about the antics of our charismatic and quirky ancestors.

Alli loved art, beauty and music that would bring her to tears, babies and dogs, especially her beloved black Labrador Tosca. She loved food, was a wonderful cook and fondly remembered her travels through memorable meals recorded in a journal. Above all else she placed family, which she loved fiercely, and the family retreat, Meadow View in the NC mountains. In 2004, Alli became a member of the Bishop Gadsden Community. She was a founding member of the Century Society of the Bishop Gadsden Episcopal Community. Starting out in an independent cottage, Alli enjoyed all that Bishop Gadsden had to offer her for the rest of her life. With several dear friends and a desire to help others, Alli started a community service at Bishop Gadsden called Samaritans of Service (S.O.S.), where residents assisted other residents in need with work, errands, driving, appointments and other services.
Alli is survived by her daughters: Alice Rutledge Tillman Baird of Richmond, VA and Laura Baird Grantham and husband, Jeremy H. of Abingdon, VA; and two granddaughters: Sarah Welles Grantham of Abingdon, VA and Kathryn Hummon Grantham of Raleigh, NC.

Her daughters are so very grateful to the many friends new and old that Alli made and reconnected with, especially the incredibly compassionate staff at Bishop Gadsden who took such wonderful and loving care of her. We are also grateful to Hospice of Charleston who ensured that Alli's final days were peaceful.

In lieu of flowers, friends may contribute to The Charleston Symphony Orchestra, the Charitable Fund of Bishop Gadsden, and the Employee Appreciation Fund of Bishop Gadsden.