Theola Gilliam

Her legal name was Theola Earnesteen Gilliam, but to most she was simply “Pixie”, a single-moniker megastar like Prince or Cher. After more than 25 years of knowing and loving her, she finally divulged her middle name to me. “Oh, that’s pretty,” I exclaimed. “But wait! There’s more...,” she added and proceeded to give me the non-traditional spelling that her parents had chosen. It was immediately obvious why she had kept the information safeguarded for so long. We laughed and laughed.

On January 16, 1939, she entered the world as Theola Rainey, the daughter of Charlie and Candis Rainey (née Wilkins). She eventually became the eldest of three daughters and lived up to her birthright. She was not only a friend to her sisters, Dr. Averill Maxine Pritchett (Wyncote, PA) and Myrtle Bastien (Philadelphia, PA), but also a fierce protector and devoted caregiver. Caregiving would prove to be a consistent theme throughout her life; she later assumed the roles of military nurse, wife, mother, school nurse, grandmother and ultimately custodian of her ailing husband.

On May 26, 1962, she married a well-educated, dapper young gentleman named Taft Gilliam. They met at Fort MacArthur in San Pedro, California. At the time, she outranked him. Truth be told, she continued to outrank him long after she left the US Army and he happily accepted his designation as “Pixie’s husband”. Taft lovingly referred to her as the “Queen Bee” of their household, and she wore the title effortlessly.

Their lives took them to many exotic places. In fact, Pixie traveled to 6 of the 7 continents. Who really wants to go to Antarctica anyway? Rest assured that she brought back souvenirs from each and every place she visited. In short, she was a shopper. Every Friday after Thanksgiving, she would remind me why cardio is so vital to any workout regimen as I struggled to keep pace with her through the aisles of TJ Maxx or Target or wherever the Shopping Gods would lead us. She had undergone two knee replacements and was 34 years my senior, but none of that mattered on Black Friday. On that day, heretofore dubbed “Pixie Day”, her strength, speed and stamina were that of a medal-clad Olympian. I was no match.

Pixie and Taft had three children in relatively rapid succession: Michael (Saudi Arabia), Sean (Houston, TX) and Christianne (Philadelphia, PA). While she loved all of her children immensely, she seemed to derive particular pleasure from incensing Sean. She was downright mischievous, while innocently batting her eyelashes and saying “Who me?”. In the end, the mother and her son would laugh together understanding that it was, in fact, a game of strategy and wit at which they were formidable, loving opponents.

Later in life, Pixie and Taft had three more children in the form of grandchildren: Isis (Davenport, IA), Isaiah (Davenport, IA) and Isadora (Philadelphia, PA). She adored her grandchildren and selflessly served as their caregiver. If you ever saw her minivan racing through the streets of the Quad Cities, it was likely in an effort to get one of her grandchildren to soccer practice or a swim meet or a school play.

In addition to shopping and caring for people, some of her favorite pastimes included horticulture, watching soccer and Brit Box, eating and exploring. One of the things I admired most about Pixie was her childlike sense of adventure. For her, trying new things was a compulsion not a feat. She never let an opportunity pass to participate in a novel experience.

On November 27, 2020, Pixie peacefully exited this life to take her place in the next life in Heaven. It was Black Friday. How fitting! She was preceded in death by both of her parents. Left to mourn her death are her adoring husband, Taft, her sisters, Maxine and Myrtle, her three children, Michael, Sean (Michelle) and Christianne, her grandchildren, Isis, Isaiah, Isadora, Mikayla and Aiden (both of Houston, TX) and Isabella (Philadelphia, PA) and a plethora of extended family and friends.

While we will miss her terribly, we take solace in knowing that she is with God and that her memory will live on through her family and friends.

Private family services are 11:00 a.m. Tuesday in the Horizon Room at Trimble Funeral Home at Trimble Pointe, 701 12th Street, Moline, with The Rev. Dr. Melvin Grimes officiating. The service will be streamed at Facebook.com/TrimbleFuneralHome. Burial will be in Rock Island National Cemetery where Moline American Legion Post 246 will present military honors. Memorials may be made to Alzheimer’s Association.

Theola’s family invites friends to share stories and condolences and view her memorial tribute video at TrimbleFuneralHomes.com.