In Memoriam: Susan (Wood) Tilney ’71, MSEd ’77

Susan (Wood) Tilney ’71, MSEd ’77 died Feb. 5, 2022, at age 76. She was born Oct. 24, 1945, in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho, where her father was stationed as a corrective therapy specialist in the U.S. Navy. Her family later moved to Salt Lake, Utah, where she attended the local high school. She attended the University of Oregon in Eugene, Ore., where she earned a bachelors degree in chemistry in 1970, and graduated from Pacific University with a masters in education.

From 1972 to 1981, she taught English and health sciences at St. Mary's High School in Portland, Ore., and also coached track and field and gymnastics. In 1981, she traveled to Connecticut to pursue a career in neurobiology at the University of Connecticut, where she met her future husband, Timothy whom she married in 1982. She graduated in 1990, from the University of Connecticut with a master's degree in neurobiology, then moved to Arizona to pursue a PhD in neurobiology at Arizona State University. Tilney was physically active and enjoyed swimming, skiing, track and field and gymnastics. In 2002 her health started to decline due to migraines and other medical conditions.

She is survived by her husband, Timothy C. Tilney; two daughters, Elyse Staats Sabilia and Leah Staats Feliciano; eight grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.