Gina Grace Tillman-Young was a woman of boundless creativity, fierce faith, and relentless devotion to her family and community. Born in Jakarta, Indonesia, in 1957, Gina was the daughter of James A. Tillman Jr., a State Department diplomat, and Mary Norman Tillman, a sociologist and founder of the Tillman Institute for Human Relations. Her early life was shaped by her parents and her brother, James A. Tillman III, immersing her in global cultures and a passion for service that defined her extraordinary journey.

Gifted with a captivating voice and an unparalleled creative spirit, Gina’s talent for theater and storytelling emerged early. She carried this passion into adulthood, performing creative non-fiction for the blind on public radio and writing numerous songs and plays. Gina graduated from Hampton Institute (not “University,” as she would proudly remind you) at just 19 years old.

In 1981, Gina earned her Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School while completing joint studies in law and divinity at Harvard Divinity School. That same year, she was ordained into the Baptist ministry. During her time at Harvard, Gina met Edward Daniel Young III, the love of her life. They married shortly after graduation and built a legacy of faith, education, and love through their ten children and ten grandchildren.

Gina was a serial entrepreneur with an insatiable drive to serve others. Over her lifetime, she founded and operated a wide range of businesses, including a catering company, an international meat market, a restaurant, an employment agency, and a business dedicated to building affordable homes. 

Among her proudest accomplishments was establishing the only organic, hand-milked dairy in the state of Texas. True to her values of sustainability and community, Gina’s dairy exemplified her dedication to providing wholesome, ethically produced food. A passionate cook and gardener, Gina loved to feed people, often with fresh organic produce she grew herself. Her meals were an extension of her love, and her table was a place of nourishment and connection for all who came to it.

Gina’s ministry began with Genesis Christian Church and Academy, founded in St. Kitts and Nevis, and expanded to campuses in Maryland and Texas. Through Genesis Academy, Gina and Edward provided a tuition-free, college-prep education to hundreds of children, ensuring that no education would be out of reach for anyone Jesus could love. 

After Edward’s retirement as the Senior Vice President of Verizon, Gina and Edward established Everything Jesus Ranch in Seguin, TX—a 114-acre sanctuary that embodied her creative vision and deep faith. The ranch was a place of healing, learning, and spiritual renewal. EJR welcomed people from around the world to find not only education but holistic solutions to life’s challenges. 

Gina believed every problem deserved her entire heart and mind to solve, and her life was a testament to this unyielding compassion. EJR’s visitors and residents included immigrants and refugees from countries like Sudan, El Salvador, and Mexico. Gina and Edward also served their global community through housing and education projects in South Africa, Guatemala, Honduras, and beyond. 

Through these efforts, Gina shared her culinary gifts, her commitment to education, and her love for academia.

In her final days, Gina returned to the Caribbean, her spiritual home, and found joy in the island of Nevis, which she called “the happiest place on earth.” She passed away on January 11, 2025, in her home on Everything Jesus Ranch.

Gina is survived by her brother, James A. Tillman III; her in-laws, Colonel Edward D. Young Jr. and Vertie J. Young; her ten children: Christa Tillman-Young, Adam Tillman-Young, Noah Tillman-Young, Luke Tillman-Young, Mary Tillman-Young, Peter Tillman-Young, Moses Tillman-Young, Chiquinha Andrade, Sheldon Stanley, and Donny Bristol, along with their spouses and partners; and her ten grandchildren: Jacqueline Tolentino Barbosa, Vanessa Tolentino Barbosa, Naomi Garcia-Stanley, Lindsay Fairman, Selah Tillman-Young, Kaylee Fairman, Daniel Tillman-Young, Natalya Garcia-Stanley, Hezekiah Tillman-Young, and Maverick Garcia-Stanley.

Her life was an anthem of love for Jesus, her family, and the world. She will be profoundly missed but never forgotten.

If you feel led, you are welcome to donate toward advancing her legacy of education and equity. While we are still figuring out what that looks like in the long term, we plan to begin by sustaining Everything Jesus Ranch, the sanctuary she and my dad built as a place of healing, learning, and community.  

Your support means the world to us as we honor her memory and carry on her vision of love, service, and opportunity for all. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.