Paul Jay Tillotson died peacefully at the Canterbury House in Auburn, Washington on December 9th, 2019. Previously, Paul lived at his beloved Stonegate Farm on Lake Moneysmith, near Black Diamond, Washington.

Paul was born in Shields, Kansas on his great-grandfather’s homestead in 1933. He attended primary school in Shields and graduated in 1952 from Dighton High School. As a young man Paul joined the International Four-H Youth Exchange program and went to work on farms and ranches in the Mexican state of Sonora. After returning from Mexico, Paul joined the US Navy and served for four years in Panama.

He attended Kansas State University where he graduated from its school of veterinary medicine in 1964. His sons, Jeff and Doug, were born while finishing his doctoral degree.

After completing his degree Paul worked at a veterinary clinic in Topeka, Kansas. While living in Topeka his daughter Amy was born. In 1967 Paul accepted an opportunity to teach Large Animal Medicine at Michigan State University.

In 1970 the Tillotson family moved to Kent, Washington and Paul began an equine veterinary practice servicing the community of thoroughbred horse racing. Paul worked at Longacres in Renton, Washington, Bay Meadows in San Mateo, California and other horse racing tracks.

Paul’s last working efforts centered around the development of remote vital signs data technology and its communication. He was awarded a patent for his work in 1997, and continued to research ideas and make notes regarding this technology and its advancement until his death.

Paul loved his family. Paul loved animals. Paul loved wild places. He was an adventurer. He enjoyed meeting people. He was a reader and storyteller with broad interests. He was ambidextrous and really good with his hands. He studied art and could draw and paint. Words mattered to him and his vocabulary was large. He was concise and sometimes poetic. Paul was a lot of fun.

Paul is survived by a sister, Betty Milford (Ken), sister-in-law, Shirley Tillotson, sons, Jeff (Kathryn) and Doug (Joan) Tillotson, daughter Amy Anderson (Rob), his special friend Joyce Sandvick, six grandchildren, Nathan, Garrett, Owen, Andrew, Holly and Emma.