Athens High School graduate dies
From Staff Reports

Kevin Till, the 2008 Athens High School grad who fought a courageous battle against cancer, died Thursday morning. He was 18.

Kevin died at his home with family at his side. Funeral services for Kevin Scott Till are scheduled for 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009 at the Living for the Brand Cowboy Church of Athens with Perry Smith officiating. Burial will follow at Carroll Springs Cemetery.

He is survived by his parents, Dean and Yvonne, and a sister, Nicole.

When he was six years old, Kevin was diagnosed with Glioblastoma Multiforme -- an aggressive brain tumor which is most commonly found in older adults. He underwent treatments after being diagnosed, and was cancer-free for nearly 10 years.

The cancer returned a couple of years ago. That didn't stop him from participating in numerous activities, including varsity football and basketball. He was a member of those programs for three years.

His story attracted local attention and also from WFAA television in Dallas. Last year, Kevin spoke about his legacy, telling the Athens Review, "I hope they will say I was a good person, always helped everybody out and was caring and said yes ma'am and no sir and was polite."

During basketball season, WFAA (Channel 8, Dallas) fastened a microphone to Kevin's clothes and followed his journey throughout20the game.

Afterward, he joked about playing the game while wearing the mic.

"I was kind of scared," he said. "That's too much money for me to be holding."

This past weekend, Kevin threw out the first pitch at the 5th Annual Athens Review Co-Ed Softball Tournament. The tournament was played in his honor, and all funds raised were donated to the Till family. Nearly $5,000 was raised through team registration, T-shirt sales and concessions. A number of organizations made private donations, as well.

Kevin was currently a student at Trinity Valley Community College.

He was also honored Sept. 18 prior to the Athens Hornets' football game against Mexia. Kevin stood in the middle of the field with his No. 28 jersey he wore during his senior season and accepted a game ball from Paul Essary, Athens' head football coach and athletic director.

1 Comments

Patricia Pippin said:

I knew Kevin when he and my grandson were in Caddo Mills school together. The two bacame good friends and remained friends till Kevin moved to Athens. My grandson went several times to visit Kevin there. We did not find out about his death till oct. 30th. I am so sorry we did not know about his passing. It just breaks my heart to hear this news. My prayers go out to his family.

October 30, 2009 8:28 PM

Leave a comment

Name:

Email:

URL:  

Remember personal info?

Captcha:

Type the characters you see in the picture above.