Tyrone Steven Gillum

The passing of  Tyrone Gillum has left a void in the hearts of his family and friends. He was a remarkable man who lived life to the fullest and always had a smile on his face. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, to Charles and Clementine Gillum, Tyrone was 67 years old when he passed away on March 11, 2023.

Tyrone grew up in the Lee Harvard area of Cleveland where he made lifelong friends.  He was still in touch with some friends with whom he went to kindergarten.  The playground at Gracemount Elementary school and later Elliott Middle School and John F. Kennedy High School gave Tyrone memories he cherished throughout his life. Tyrone briefly went to Kent State University, however, the California coast called his name and he dropped everything to follow that quest.  Realizing the importance of education, he made the tough decision to return to Cleveland and pursue his degree which he did.  Tyrone graduated from John Carroll University with a degree in Marketing and went on to acquire several Executive Certificates in Marketing from Harvard University.

Tyrone was an avid sportsman.  He played little league baseball, as a pitcher, and he even went to Central Catholic High School for a short time on a basketball scholarship.  He was a die hard fan of the Cleveland Browns and the Los Angeles Lakers and during his entire life he rarely missed a game.  Later in in life he reconnected with tennis and was known as Mr. Tennis in his Virginia neighborhood.  Tennis and Remy Martin Cognac were among his passions in later life.  He was a lifetime member of the American Tennis Association; an organization dedicated to mentoring young African American players.

Tyrone’s life took a significant turn when he met Toni Scott in 1986. They became a couple in October, 1987 and together with his son Tyrone Parnell Gillum they moved to Shaker Hts., and then to Boston and outside Washington, DC , Tyrone and Toni have four children together. In December 2006, they tied the knot and started a new chapter in their lives.

Tyrone was an exceptional entrepreneur, and his business acumen was admired by many.  Real Estate became his new passion, particularly commercial real estate. He was a site selector for Sun Oil Company, determining where to place their gas stations. He also spent a short time working for Marcus and Milichap before venturing out on his own.

His magnetic personality made him many friends across the globe, and he felt at home in North Africa, West Africa, the Caribbean, and wherever his travels took him.  The place he most wanted to go was Morocco.  He said he knew he would find his people there.

He was a loyal friend and always had a kind word for everyone he met. He loved his family deeply, and they were the center of his world.  He would travel to Cleveland to take his mother to service at Lee Road Baptist Church and his children sometimes attended vacation Bible school there.  Tyrone was a member of Agape in Los Angeles and truly embodied the philosophy of spiritual Karma and trained his mind to see only the positive and his light did shine.

Tyrone was preceded in death by his father Charles Gillum, and brother Kenneth Gillum.

He is survived by his wife Toni Scott Gillum, mother Clementine Gillum, sons Tyrone Gillum Jr., Nelson E. Gillum, Nicholas C. Gillum, Maxwell Z. Gillum, and Myles Z. Gillum, granddaughters Tai D. Gillum and Christian M. Gillum, sister Susan Gillum Smith, and brothers James P. Gillum , Carlton A. Gillum and many extended family and friends.