Richard Tomlinson

Tomlinson, Richard 10/15/1929 - 1/16/2016 Rose Arbor Tomlinson, Richard George Known as 'Dick' by his many friends, RGT passed away peacefully on Saturday, January 16th, 2016 at the Rose Arbor Hospice Residence in Kalamazoo at the age of 86. He was a resident of Portage, MI and Onekama, MI. The eldest son of the late George McCauley and Margaret Anderson Tomlinson, he was born in Chicago on October 15th, 1929. Married to his Portage Lake summer sweetheart Ruth 'Posie' Potts Tomlinson in 1951, he immediately thereafter served in the U.S. Air Force, being stationed both in California then England, until 1956. A graduate of both Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa with a degree in psychology and speech pathology ('51), and the University of Nebraska with a master's degree in experimental psychology and statistics ('52), he then joined the Upjohn Company in Portage Michigan where he worked until his retirement in 1994. He retired as the corporate senior vice president for human resources and a member of the corporate management office. While at Upjohn, he was the recipient of the W.E. Upjohn award in 1967, and long after retirement he was honored with the Theodore C. Cooper award from the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo for his distinguished volunteer service in the arts. A dedicated and prolific volunteer, he served on many boards and committees including the finance/investment/development committees of the Kalamazoo Community Foundation, Family and Children Services, the Kalamazoo Nature Center and the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo; and the boards of the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, the Community AIDS Resource & Education Services (CARES), the Chamber Music Society of Kalamazoo, Fontana Chamber Arts, Hospice of Southwest Michigan, the Kalamazoo County AIDS Planning Task Force, the Visiting Nurse and Hospice Association of Southwest Michigan, the Constance Brown Hearing & Speech Center, Planned Parenthood of Southwest Michigan, the Big Brothers Association, and the Richmond Center for Visual Arts at the Gwen Frostic School of Art at WMU, among others. A lifelong summer resident of Onekama Michigan on the shores of Portage Lake, he may never have been happier than when sailing, boating, jet skiing or just sitting on the dock in front of his home there, scotch and soda in hand, and enjoying yet another beautiful sunset. Dick was preceded in death by his wife, Posie, in 1991; his younger brother, George 'Bud' Tomlinson; his son-in-law, James Brown; and his nephew, son of Bud Tomlinson, Robert Tomlinson. He is survived by his three sons, Bill, Steve and Charlie; Bill's wife Patricia and their three sons Rudy, Miles and David; Steve's partner Pam Fletcher and his two daughters, Meg and Kate; his nephew John Tomlinson and partner Don Krause; his cousin Margaret Thompson, her husband Ron, their daughters Sylvia and Betsy, and grandson Aaron; his sister in law, Ann Dillon; Robert's two daughters Lucy and Maya; and his current wife Kathleen Tomlinson, to whom he was married in 2006. Dick's body was cremated by the Langeland Funeral Home, where his personal webpage may be viewed at www.langelands.com. A memorial celebration of Dick's life will be held on Saturday, April 23rd from 4:30pm to 8:00pm at the Beacon Club, 5830 Portage Road, Portage Michigan, with the memorial portion starting at 5:30pm. The family cordially invites friends and colleagues to attend and help us to honor his legacy, and a life truly well lived. Memorial Contributions may be given to the Posie Tomlinson Memorial Scholarship fund at the Kalamazoo Community Foundation, the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, Fontana Chamber Arts or a charity of the donor's choice. May he rest in peace.