Tilden H. Bunge

1969 - 2020

Tilden H. Bunge
Tilden Hamilton Bunge "Ham", 50, of New York City died January 29, 2020, after a courageous battle with melanoma.
Ham was born on April 4th, 1969 in New York, NY to George and Isabel (Goff) Bunge. Ham spent his early years in New York, NY, Darien, CT and Lake Forest, IL. In 1978, at the age of 9, his family moved to Geneva, Switzerland after his father, a partner with Arthur Andersen, was transferred to their newly established World Headquarters. Ham spent his formative years in Geneva, attending the International School of Geneva (Ecolint). Geneva always held a special place in Ham's heart and he always attributed his time there for shaping him into the fine human being he became. He loved the outdoors and hiking and attained the rank of Eagle Scout with Troop 77. He made countless lifelong friends there and lived life to the fullest, travelling extensively throughout Europe and Africa, among other things.
After high school, Ham attended Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, where he was an avid rugby player and a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity. He graduated in 1991 with a bachelor's degree in Economics. Initially interested in a career in law, he worked as a paralegal for the firm of Keck, Mahin & Cate in Chicago while preparing for law school. Ham ultimately decided that his real passion was in finance and returned to school to pursue an accounting degree, subsequently passing all four parts of his CPA on his first try. His career in finance landed him a job with Spiegel in Chicago for many years before moving to New York City in 2003. There, he worked for a number of companies including Fiserv, Integral Ad Science and his most recent employer, Innovid. Ham will be remembered by his colleagues as the "Master Forecaster", revered and respected for his calm and deliberate demeanor. Ham met his beautiful wife Ann in August 2010 and they became attached at the hip. Their courtship culminated with a proposal at the Hrnlihutte in Zermatt in July 2011 and a marriage later that year followed by a honeymoon trip to Argentina and camping on the Antarctic ice sheet. She was the love of his life, traveling the world and enjoying countless special moments together. His hobbies included world travel, skiing, running, walking 10,000 steps per day (rain or shine), solving brain puzzles, reading biographies, entertaining, cooking, writing poetry and storytelling. He was also an enthusiastic dancer and karaoke singer.
Ham is survived by his beloved wife Ann; his brother George and Raquel Bunge and their children, Isabelle, George and John; his brother David Bunge and his wife Jennifer and their children, Christian, Schuyler and Phoebe. His father-in-law Gerrit Lydecker Sr.; his sisters-in-law Margaret and Eleanor Lydecker, and sister-in-law Ginny Stephan and her husband Scott and their children, Emily, Faith, Harrison, and Jack; his brother-in-law Gerrit Lydecker Jr. and his wife Libby and their children, Zander and Thira.
In lieu of flowers we ask that any donations go towards the three Tilden H. Bunge Legacy Funds on caringbridge.org. We are overwhelmed and grateful for the outpouring of love and support from friends and family from around the world. The stories of how Ham touched their lives are extraordinary.
Ham will be greatly missed...
The memorial service will be held on February 15th at 1 p.m. at St. Luke's Episcopal Church located at 1864 Post Rd., Darien, CT 06820. The service will be followed by a reception from 2-5 p.m. at St. Luke's Anderson Youth and Community Center.