Tillie McCullough

Tillie Frances McCullough

Tillie McCullough passed away peacefully on August 2, 2020 in San Francisco after a short but courageous battle with bladder cancer. Born in Hollister, California, Tillie was the oldest of Charles and Stephanie McCullough's six children. After graduation from Dominican University in San Rafael Tillie set out on a life of education, travel and volunteerism. As a young woman in her twenties she began teaching English at Notre Dame Belmont High School and after a few years there left the United States to work for the State Department in London. It was there where she developed her love of learning and travel. Tillie would visit British and European museums, attend various symphonies and operas and explore as many countries as her State Department assignment would allow. She returned to San Francisco in the late 1950's and worked for a prestigious law firm and then decided she wanted to spend the rest of her professional career as an English teacher. Most aspiring teachers needed a masters degree to teach. Not Tillie. She convinced administrators at City College of San Francisco that she was up to the task and from the mid 1960's to 1981 became a revered and well respected teacher. She received numerous awards of recognition from both faculty and students for her work. While at City College she came up with a plan that was somewhat groundbreaking at the time. She found a college instructor at a university in Vancouver and proposed that they exchange not only teaching assignments at one another's schools but their homes as well. It worked as Tillie spent a year in Vancouver teaching and traveling throughout Canada. She said it was one of the highlights of her life. Tillie was a single woman. She loved her independence. She loved life. She loved being part of so many organizations and devoted her time to so many causes. She was a member of the Metropolitan, Francisca and California Tennis clubs. She was a very proud member of the San Francisco Irish Hibernian – Newman club and was the club's first female president. In 2006 she received the Hibernian of the Year award in front of 1000+ St Patrick's Day lunch attendees at the St Francis Hotel. The award brought her such joy. She was a docent at St Mary's Cathedral. She volunteered at the Legion of Honor and DeYoung Museum. She was one of the few people you'd see at Oracle Park (home of her beloved San Francisco Giants) with a score book. She could describe in great detail why Willie Mays was the greatest player who ever lived and why she thought Luciano Pavarotti was overrated. In her mid 70's she took up bridge and within a few months was playing in tournaments all over the Bay Area. It was common for family and friends to walk into the top San Francisco restaurants with her and immediately hear "Hi Tillie" or "Tillie…c'mon over." It seemed like wherever she went people would know her. Whenever a grandniece or grandnephew was struggling with a U.S. or European History question or an English grammar assignment it was common for their parents to say "call Tillie – She'll help you out." She loved the joy of a good conversation and a stiff vodka tonic. Tillie loved to summer in Sun Valley, attend the opening of the opera season every fall in New York and especially loved the annual family Easter Saturday gathering at the family ranch in Panoche, California. The term "one in a million" is often times thrown around loosely but to all those who knew and loved her Tillie McCullough was truly a ONE IN A MILLION! Tillie is preceded in death by her parents Charles and Stephanie McCullough and her wonderful brothers Charlie, Barney and Jimmy. She is survived by her sisters Bert Donahue (Mike), Anne Griffin, sister in law Eileen McCullough and thirteen nephews and nieces. A private family celebration of life service will be held in the near future. Tillie's favorite organization was The Little Sisters of the Poor. Donations in Tillie's name can be made to little sisters of the poor San Francisco . org.