Ridley Wills II, a prominent Nashvillian, philanthropist, Vanderbilt Board of Trust emeritus member, and longtime benefactor of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and Vanderbilt University Medical Center, has died. He was 90.

Mr. Wills, a third-generation member of Vanderbilt’s Board of Trust and a 1956 graduate of Vanderbilt University, was noted for his substantial civic contributions to Nashville and his efforts to record and preserve the history of the beloved city that five generations of the Wills family have called home.
Together with his late wife, Irene, Mr. Wills supported Vanderbilt University and the Medical Center throughout the years, and that connection was rekindled when son, Morgan Wills, MD, attended and graduated from VUSM. Notably, the couple funded the Wills Scholarship to provide assistance to medical students based on financial need, as well as the Meade Haven MD/PhD Scholarship, established in 1977 in honor of Mr. Wills’ father, Jesse E. Wills.
The Meade Haven scholarship, named for the family’s longtime home, assists students pursuing the dual MD/PhD degree. Among the scholarship’s recipients was Jeff Balser, MD, PhD, President and CEO of Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Dean of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.
“Through a lifetime of giving, Mr. Wills and the Wills family continue to impact generations of School of Medicine students. I will be forever grateful for their support at such a pivotal time in my career,” said Balser. “Mr. Wills was very passionate about Vanderbilt and the broader Nashville community. He supported numerous causes and initiatives while leaving an indelible mark on our institution and the city. As we mourn his passing I want to express my sympathy to the Wills family.”
Mr. Wills was also an enthusiastic supporter of Vanderbilt athletics, a connection that came early. He was a member of the VU varsity swim team and served as team captain. In a 1956 SEC meet, he made the finals and single-handedly scored more points than the team had scored in two decades.
“Vanderbilt truly meant the world to our father,” said his son Ridley Wills III. “He was honored to be a part of the Vanderbilt community, and to help those who needed it throughout his life.”
After serving as an officer in the U.S. Navy for two years of peacetime service, Mr. Wills joined the National Life and Accident Insurance Company that his grandfather, Ridley Wills Sr., co-founded in 1901. In 1976, he was elected to the board of National Life; he retired as a senior vice president in 1982.
Mr. Wills then began a new career as a historian and prolific author. He began teaching night school classes on local history at Belmont University and Montgomery Bell Academy (MBA). Wills went on to author 34 historical and biographical books about Nashville, Middle Tennessee and its notable residents. He averaged nearly a book or booklet a year for four decades. As a testament to his efforts, Mr. Wills received an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from the University of the South in 2016.
At a Land Trust for Tennessee event honoring Mr. Wills, former Nashville Mayor John Cooper said, “Some people shape history, and some people write history, and some very special people do both. Mr. Wills is one of those very special people.”
Mr. Wills was a tireless community leader, serving as national chair of the Vanderbilt University Living Endowment Campaign; chair of the steering committee for the Vanderbilt Divinity School’s endowment campaign; president of the Cumberland Museum and Science Center; president of the YMCA of Metropolitan Nashville; president of the Tennessee Historical Society; chair of the Monteagle Sunday School Assembly Endowment Corporation; and chair of the MBA Board of Trust, to name a few. He served on numerous other boards, including the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Mr. Wills’ awards for his charitable work include the YMCA’s President’s Award, the Alexis de Tocqueville Award from the United Way, and the Distinguished Alumnus award from MBA. He was honored by the Land Trust with the Forever Tennessee Conservation Legacy Award in 2019 and by the YMCA as a member of the Southeast Region Hall of Fame in 2021.
Mr. Wills was perhaps most proud of his longtime service as a deacon, elder and energetic ambassador for The Downtown Presbyterian Church in Nashville. His final gift to the city during the Christmas 2024 season was to illuminate the church’s Egyptian-themed stained-glass windows so they were visible at night.
Mr. Wills was preceded in death by his wife, Irene, and their son, Jesse Ely Wills III. He is survived by his brother and sister-in law, Matt and Judy Wills, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, and by his sister, Ellen Wills Martin of Washington, D.C. Wills is also survived by his three sons and two daughters-in-law, Ridley Wills III (Betsy), Morgan Wills Sr. (Heather), and Tom Wills, all of Nashville. He is additionally survived by six grandchildren and their spouses, Meade Le Lay (Cyril), Ridley Wills IV (Grayson), Issac Wills, Jessie Wills, Morgan Wills Jr., and Laura Jackson Wills.
A memorial service will be held at First Presbyterian Church, 4815 Franklin Pike, in Nashville, at 2 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 24, followed by a reception to celebrate Mr. Wills’ life from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the Belle Meade Country Club, 815 Belle Meade Blvd., in Nashville.
In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Montgomery Bell Academy, The Land Trust for Tennessee and The Downtown Presbyterian Church.