George E. “Eddie” Tilden, age 74, passed away on Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2013, in
Windsor, Wisconsin.
He was born on January 7, 1939.
George married his high school sweetheart, Karen “Mickey” Koritz, on June
18, 1961.
He is survived by his wife Karen; daughter Shawn (Bill) Frederickson;
grandson Billy (Ashley) Frederickson, who are expecting in April; brother
Jim (Bonnie) Tilden; sister Kathy (Dick) Mills; and sister-in-law Judy Ott;
along with many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Bud Tilden and Pat
Tilden; and sister Margie Winn.
He graduated from Chesterton High School in 1957 in Chesterton, Ind. After
high school, George received his B.S. from Purdue University and then his
M.B.A. from Michigan State University. In 1961, George joined the U.S. Army
as a Second Lieutenant. George’s military career spanned over 24 years in
Transportation Management and Operations Research/Systems. During one of his
numerous state side tours, their daughter, Shawn Alison, was born at Fort
Leonard Wood, Mo. Overseas tours included Korea, Vietnam, Portugal and
Germany. He retired from the U.S. Army in Tampa, Fla., and began a civilian
career working for SRA (Systems Research Analysis) and MITRE Corporation,
retiring in St. Louis, Mo. in 2002. George and Karen moved to Madison, Wis.,
to be closer to their daughter and her family, who had remained in Madison
after George’s assignment as Professor of Military Science with the U.W.
Madison. George led an active retirement, building model train platforms and
keeping current with the constantly changing world of new technology. When
not building model trains, George scoured antique stores for coo-coo clocks
and other antique clocks that could benefit from his restoration efforts.
George liked being outdoors and spending time at the family cottage. Never
one to sit still for long, he worked on restoring the family cottage and
along with his son-in law, he built an addition to their home.
Military honors will be conducted at Gunderson East Funeral Home, 5203
Monona Dr., Madison, Wis., at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2014.