Sumner B. “Tony” Tilton Jr., a prominent Worcester attorney and longtime civic leader whose service reached across healthcare, higher education, philanthropy, economic development and the arts, died Aug. 7. He was 88.
A lifelong Worcester resident, Tilton was an officer and director at Fletcher Tilton PC, where he specialized in estate planning and estate and trust administration law. He also served on the firm’s executive, compensation and investment committees and chaired its Trusts and Estates Department.
Tilton held leadership roles with many of Worcester’s major institutions. He served as chair of the board of UMass Memorial Healthcare and Choose Worcester, a private nonprofit economic development organization.
He was also a director of the YMCA of Greater Worcester and the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce and served as president of the Greater Worcester Community Foundation.
His civic involvement extended to the arts and philanthropy. Tilton was an honorary trustee of the Worcester Art Museum and the EcoTarium and served as a trustee of several charitable foundations, including the Francis A. and Jacquelyn H. Harrington Foundation, the Hoche-Schofield Foundation and the Ruth H. and Warren Ellsworth Foundation.
He also had a longstanding relationship with Clark University, where he was a life member and former chair of the Board of Trustees. He helped guide the university’s relationship with the city and co-chaired a capital campaign in the early 2010s. Tilton Hall on the Clark campus was named in recognition of his support.
His community service earned him several honors. The Massachusetts Bar Association presented Tilton with its Community Service Award in 2002, and he was inducted into the Boys & Girls Club of Worcester’s Alumni Hall of Fame in 2004. In 2008, the Worcester Regional Research Bureau presented him with the Isaiah Thomas Award for his efforts to help build a stronger community and expand opportunities for residents.
Tilton also received honorary degrees from four Worcester institutions: Clark University, Assumption University, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences and Becker College.
Born Feb. 25, 1938, in Worcester, Tilton was the son of Sumner B. Tilton Sr. and Mary Elizabeth Ellsworth Tilton. He grew up in the city and attended Middlesex, Williams College and Boston University School of Law.
Beyond Worcester, Tilton was an elected fellow of the American College of Trustees and Estate Counsel and served as chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Health Care Security Trust, also known as the Massachusetts Tobacco Fund. He also served as a trustee of Middlesex School and Cape Cod Healthcare.
Outside his professional and civic work, Tilton enjoyed golf, travel and time with family and friends. He and his wife, Martha, traveled extensively, including trips to Aruba and Africa, and Tilton made annual trips to Ireland with friends for nearly a decade.
The couple also spent significant time at their home in Osterville, overlooking the water, where they hosted family gatherings, holidays and dinner parties.
Tilton was a longtime member of Tatnuck Country Club and the Worcester Club and a member of Oyster Harbors Club. He also enjoyed ship modeling and was known for his curiosity and love of conversation.
In a memoir completed six years before his death, Tilton reflected on the importance of friendship, resilience, sharing good fortune and living by the Golden Rule.
“Trite as it sounds, it works,” he wrote. “It did for me and served me well.”
Tilton is survived by his wife, Martha; daughters Pamela Reilly, Linda Gibson, Deborah Thrun and Kathryn Tilton; stepson Paul Strawn; stepdaughter Emily DiRocco; his sister, Ann Ward; 11 grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and extended family members.
Services and burial will be private. Donations in his memory may be made to Cape Cod Healthcare Foundation or the Boys & Girls Club of Worcester.
