David Tilson

1924 - 2021

David Tilson
January 14, 1924 - May 3, 2021
Oakland, California - David Franklin Tilson Jr, age 97, died peacefully at his home in Oakland, CA on May 3, 2021.
David, the first of four children, was born on January 14, 1924 in Newton, Kansas to Molly (Blalock) Tilson -- a homemaker -- and David Franklin Tilson Sr. -- a locomotive engineer. His parents hailed from Etowah, TN and David remembered visiting grandparents as a child and seeing Civil War veterans at a veteran's home in Tennessee. After graduating from high school, David, an accomplished cornet player, received a music scholarship from Wichita State University, where he attended briefly before getting drafted to serve during World War II. He was assigned to the Navy's Electronics Training Program, having passed the rigorous Eddy Test. After the war, David attended Oklahoma State University and, in 1952, graduated with distinction, earning his BS in Industrial Engineering. He accepted a position as a project engineer with the Creole Petroleum Corp and moved to Venezuela. It was there that he met Helen Elizabeth Paulson, who was working as a schoolteacher for the American children. They married on December 20, 1954. The couple had twin daughters and moved to Palo Alto where David attended Stanford University and received his MBA. Two more daughters were born in Palo Alto. In 1967, the family moved to Oakland and settled in what became their beloved home for 45 years. While working for Matson Navigation Company, David had the opportunity to take his family on an exciting, once-in-a-lifetime cruise -- touring the islands of the South Pacific for 6 weeks. He made a career change, becoming a Certified Financial Planner, and dedicated the next 40+ years to providing investment advice to his many clients. David also attended law school in the evenings and passed the CA Bar exam. He retired from Morgan Stanley at the age of 85.
After their children were raised, David and Helen enjoyed travelling extensively around the world -- from the Great Wall of China to the fjords of Norway. Back on the home front, David took pleasure in attending the symphony and going to the theater. He was a voracious reader and was particularly interested in books about World War II. Most of all, he deeply cherished spending time with his family ... his wife, 4 daughters, 6 grandchildren and 1 great-grandchild. He will be missed.
David is survived by his wife, Helen, and their four daughters (and sons-in-law), Sally Tilson O'Neill and Robert O'Neill, Susan Tilson and Todd Thurston, Nancy and Bruce Cook, Joan Tilson and Craig Pryor, David's brother Kyle Tilson, David's grandchildren Molly O'Neill, Kelly O'Neill, Danny Cook, Amy Tilson-Lumetta, Carly Tilson-Lumetta, Julia Thurston, and great-grandson Henry Moir- O'Neill.
A celebration of life will take place later this summer in Salt Lake City, Utah.