Susan Beatrice Tileston (Buckley)

Born January 23, 1953
Died August 31, 2014

Predeceased by her parents, John Edward Buckley and Elizabeth Catherine Buckley (Dean), by her brother Christopher (Denise) Buckley, and by her brother-in-law Billy (Mary) Willingham.

Susan is survived by her three children, R. James (Brigid) Tileston, Heather (Ben) Franks, and Christine Tileston. She adored her four grandchildren: Sophie and Rebecca Franks, Peter and Isaac Tileston. She is survived by her siblings: Joseph (Alice), Peter (Susan), Mary Willingham, Theresa, Patrick (MaryEllen), Catherine Lewis (Howard), Timothy (Annmarie) and many nieces and nephews. She is also survived by Ralph D. Tileston, her divorced husband of 32 years and father of her children.

She was the youngest of nine children, born at the Naval Hospital in Bethesda, MD. Susan attended grade school at Saint Mary’s School of Piscataway, in Clinton, MD. She attended Saint Patrick High School Washington DC, class of 1971. While raising a family she lived in North Carolina, Illinois, California, then again in Illinois. After all three children graduated from college, she returned to North Carolina. As her health declined, she spent several years under the care of her sisters in Maryland. In Spring of 2013, she returned to North Carolina to be near her daughter, Christine. She died while in residence at Peak Resources, Inc., an assisted living and rehabilitation facility in Gastonia, NC. Throughout her life she benefitted from the love, support, and loyalty of her family. In particular, her siblings and children were of great comfort in her declining years.

Susan enjoyed quiet times at home and read every night. She always had several piles of books near her bed. She often took her kids to the library and encouraged them to enjoy learning. Despite her modest demeanor she demonstrated great fortitude and leadership. She volunteered as den mother for her son and Girl Scout leader for her daughters. Susan worked hard to make ends meet, subjugating her own educational goals to the immediate needs of her family. She was a great cook. Some of the family favorites were her yeast rolls and apple pies at holidays or her potato salad, which she served at many cook-outs. She enjoyed sewing, especially making Halloween costumes and quilts.

Two of her very best companions were dogs. Corky, a loveable Bichon-Terrier mix, was the family dog throughout the 1990’s. His ashes will be interred with Susan’s. Later in her life, Susie had a wonderful dog named Maddie, a true blue mutt, who on occasion would help her back home when their walks together became disoriented and confused.

As a life-long Roman Catholic, she valued prayer and gathering with her faith community. For a period she served as a Eucharistic Minister, tending to the home-bound and seriously ill. Her legacy is the unconditional love she shared with us, the example Christian modesty she set and the innumerable happy memories.

A reception and memorial to honor the deceased will be held at the private residence of Christine Tileston, in Charlotte, NC, on Friday, September 5, 2014. (3-7 pm)

Donations are accepted in Susan's honor at the following:
Tri-County Animal Rescue, PO BOX 483, Alexis, NC, 28006
www.tcar.us
tricountyanimalrescue@yahoo.com
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine: Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center
www.alzresearch.org/giving

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