Suddenly on Monday, October 14, 2024, aged 42 years. Dearly loved son of Gayle and Rodney McPhee, and Greig Tilly and Raewyn Hennig, loved brother of Selwyn and Dee, and a special friend of Sasha. Messages to PO Box 61, Ruakaka 0582, or can be left on Curtis’ tribute page at www.thompsonfd.co.nz. A Service to Celebrate Curtis’ life, will be held in Thompson’s Riverside Chapel, 88 Gibson Quay, Hokitika, on Monday, October 21, at 11.00am. Private cremation to follow. A Memorial Service will be held in Ruakaka at a later date.
Curtis Greig Tilly
October 14, 2024
Rip Curtis. You are in our thoughts Sasha and Curtis’s family at this very sad time.
Sure gonna miss you, thanks for everything you done and the fun had, rest easy 🔴⚪️🔴⚪️
Huge condolences to your family & Sasha.
Sasha and family. We lost a lovely man and member of the community. Curtis was a new member of the Crafty Ladies Catering group we had good laughs at his knife skills. He was a wonderful friend to me and if he didn’t walk or skip home with me I had to message him when I got home. Such a kind caring man I am so grateful to have known. RIP Curtis. Miss you. Girlfriend number 2nd equal
Curtis u were genuine good bugger, u are gona b greatly missed by my family and the community
Thoughts are with ur family and Sasha 💔
RIL Curtis. We all at Hari Hari are going to miss you so much. Condolences to his family and dear Sasha.
Rip Curtis 😢 till closing, 😭 😭ill miss u and our friendship we shared.Condolences to your family and Sasha 💔
What very sad news, we will miss you and your huge smile, Curtis you were such a lovely guy and so helpful to everyone. Friday and Sunday nights aren’t going to be the same. Our deepest sympathy to all your family and Sasha. From Steve,Karen and Gavin.
Thanks for cooking the BBQ at Reubs darts, you cooked a mean venison steak
RIP Curtis
Such a great loss you such a kind caring guy.loved you Santa outfit last year so many laughter R.I.P Curtis thoughts are with your family and also Sasha
Gonna miss you Curtis I’ll keep a few Jiim Beams on ice for when we meet again
Such sad news.
You were such a great guy.
I’ll miss your yarns and great sense of humor.
On behalf of the North Canterbury Game Shooters, I would like to send my deepest sympathy to your family, friends and everyone else that will miss you dearly.
Rest easy mate.
Curtis you were one of the genuine good guys of the community. Always willing to drop everything at a moments notice to lend a hand. No job was too big or too small there yiu would be. Your smile will be sorely missed.
Condolences to your family, your Hari Hari family and the lovely Sasha. You will be forever missed.
Helen and Glen Aitken
Have a photo on my wall of you and Sasha.I will miss our conversations along with you smile and laughter.A great man gone to soon.Never forgotten Condolences to beautiful Sasha and families.
You will be so sadly missed in the community by so many of us Curtis. Not so many people these days have your caring attitude, your willingness to lend a hand wherever and whenever. I think you would have given the shirt off your back if it would help someone. A guy with a huge heart and a huge laugh. Sincere condolences to Curtis’s family and to you too Sasha, you made him so happy!
Curtis you were such a good person – always jumping up and helping anyone and everyone, that smile was infectious. What a shock it was hearing that you had left us 😢, Sasha I wish I could come and see you to give you a big hug ❤️❤️ thinking of all family and friends of Curtis at this sad time.
Very sad to loose you Curtis.
We will miss your pleasant happy and thoughtful contact.
Our condolences to your family and special thoughts go to Sacha
Can’t believe you’re gone. It is such a shock. Say hi to Nan & Pop and have a rum n coke with them. Love Aunty Sheryll & Olivia 💔💔
🥲Curtis Tilly (COURTEOUS) 28 JUNE 1982 – 16 OCTOBER 2024 Fly high my beautiful friend whom say yes and put himself out to help anyone. 💛I was thinking of you in the last week and was going to call you and see how you were doing, and then to hear today you have left us. I’m very sad and sorry now I didn’t make the call to you when I was thinking about you! R.I.P COURTEOUS (I always called you) because you were so courteous and caring and always there for Starleigh and I! 🫶I am forever thankful and grateful to you Mr T! The world has lost a huge heart and friend. May our Father God in Heaven take you into His Loving Arms 🙏🏻🕊️ Condolences and Love to your mum and dad and family 💛 I’ll never forget you Curtis, Love you Infinity ♾️ Kimberley xoxo
Apologies 14th October
The Wigmore family from Ruakaka are very sad to hear of your loss. We send our love and condolences to all of the family and all of the people touched by Curtis’ life.
To Gayle and Rodney and Greig, so very sorry to learn your sad news. My thoughts and love are with you right now xx
To the Tilly Whanau, sending thoughts and prayers from Sydney – Australia
Very sad to hear when an old school friend passes away. Remember Curtis from my days at Bream Bay College, a good person.
Curtis, although we didn’t have the strongest relationship you were still my brother. You have caused us so much stress over your life but this is the hardest.
You have always been the type of person that give the shirt off your own back, even if they didn’t deserve it.
After meeting the locals of Hari Hari and seeing the respect they had for you is truly amazing.
The west coast has been the best thing for you.
Blood is thicker than water and you’ll always be my big brother,
Take care and look after yourself up there
Until next time
Sel
Mate I don’t even know what to say. Couldn’t believe it when I heard the news.From growing up together, going through school, spending countless days at your family home on Camellia Ave, you certainly were one of the characters of our group of mates. Although we didn’t keep in touch much, our parents have definitely continued on the family friendship. Condolences to the Tilly family. Fly high mate, until we meet again.
Curtis, I’m so sad to hear of your passing. You were such a special friend throughout school. You had a heart of gold and I loved hanging out with you. I will always remember your kindness and practical ability to fix things which is a rare talent these days. Have a beer with my dad Rodney, hel be stoked to see you. RIP mate xxx
RIP mate a good genuine work mate we will all miss you nothing was a problem
Such sad & devastating news Curtis, Were in shock still & this will be one of the hardest times in your family’s & friends life To deal with. Best wishes to Sachsa. rip buddy til we meet again xxx Thanks to all your good mates down there for looking after you, by the sounds of things you had found your right place. Aunty Chrissy & Uncle Mark. love you forever
Farewell Curtis, this is a very sad time for us all and you will be sorely missed. Uncle Don and Aunty Alison.
Such very sad news. From reading the above comments I can put together a picture of what you were like, Curtis. A very special person who will be missed by so many. Even though I hadn’t seen you since you were quite little, you were always my cousin Greig’s son and my heart goes out to him. Life is not always fair and this is such a time. RIP Curtis.
To Curtis, my sweetest sunflower and soulmate.
Curtis, you were the best person I’ll ever know and no words, memorial or anything will ever do justice to how perfect you were. Yes, your path was occasionally led to some dark places, but I honestly believe you never took a single step down that road with bad intentions.
I will make sure you are instead remembered for all the subtle ways and sneaky occasions you did good and gave to others with no expectation of return, or recognition. I will make sure you are remembered for your endless empathy and ability to forgive. I will make sure you’re remembered for being my favourite clown and puppet master, and for that infectious laugh of yours that made it impossible to ever be completely sad or angry in your presence. I will make sure you are remembered for your humility, complete lack of arrogance, and for your seemingly limitless patience and gentleness. I will make sure you are remembered for how incredible you were at people and project management, and how you somehow managed to not only be a Jack of all trades, but a master of most you tried.
I will also never stop making other people feel sick talking about how that inner beauty was reflected in outer good looks. I might be a little biased, but you were the best looking bloke I’ve ever known. You had the most incredible bright and dancing eyes, with pretty much every colour in them, the kind you can’t help but stare at. Your grin was infectious, and the smile lines and tough jawline hidden sometimes hidden under your many face/head hair combinations were jawdroppingly handsome, even before you consider how they reflected what a beautiful person you were inside. I could never pick which head hair/facial hair combo I liked most, because every single one of them made me drool. From your flirty stubble, which showed all your smirks and meant I could see your beautiful face, to the characteristic scruffy beards which were so rugged and attractive. You were the perfect balance of surprising strength and soft warmth, and very much the safest, warmest hug I’ll ever have. In your hands, which were so callused and tough yet somehow soft and gentle, we were all safe, which is somehow the perfect description of you inside and out.
Curtis, you were the sun to me. In the words of my favourite poet “I don’t mean the sun in mid July… I mean the sun on cold autumn days… when I haven’t seen the clouds part in weeks, when I have felt cold for so long that I can’t remember what it is to feel warm. Suddenly you arrive from behind my overcast sky and remind me what it is to feel light”. Looking back at all of our messages, notes and letters, I’m struck by how much we behaved like teenagers around each other, for a couple with the combined age of 68! But I think that’s the thing really, the sheer wave of relief, happiness and unconditional love and understanding that comes with finding the other half of your soul (we’d both be vomit-emojiing at this whole paragraph don’t worry), just took us so much by surprise and was too intense to control. And crucially, I think I speak for both of us when I say the trust, respect and consideration that were the corner stones of our relationship from day one, just gave us both such safety and security in our ‘us’ that we finally had no need to do the more grown up and socially acceptable thing of showing love in moderation. In the words of Zach Bryan’s mother “find someone who grows flowers in the darkest parts of you”. I loved you like as recklessly and boldly as a teenager because I showed you the darkest parts of me and my deepest hurts, and you built the healthiest, strongest relationship with me by treading the perfect line between accepting those things, but also not blindly indulging them. By instead understanding them and ever so gently starting to heal them. You taught me what true love is, and I will be forever broken without your companionship and unwavering love. I’m grateful for every second we had together, for the little family we built in our short time, and devastated that you didn’t get to live your happily ever after (🤢). Yours forever, Sash x
To everyone else reading this – thank you for any support you’ve given either of us in life or death, and please go ahead and love loudly, forgive the messes of life and be unapologetic in your happiness.