News Release

CHAPEL HILL — Glenda Sykes Tilley, a 30-year employee at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, died on Oct. 12, the university’s 211^th birthday. She was 58.

Tilley, of Chapel Hill, was finance and personnel manager for the Carolina Union. Before that, she worked for the Student Activities Fund. In both jobs, Tilley worked closely with students and student organizations, helping them manage funds for their programs and activities.

The funeral was at Antioch Baptist Church in Chapel Hill Friday (Oct. 15); Union offices closed Friday afternoon in her memory.

Tilley was very popular with students and co-workers at UNC, said Don Luse, Carolina Union director.

"You couldn’t walk across campus to a meeting or event with Glenda unless you started early," he said. "Along the way, you would meet people Glenda knew who would want to stop and talk. … She knew everyone."

Tilley was a lifelong member of Antioch. She attended White Cross School west of Chapel Hill and graduated from Chapel Hill High in 1963. Tilley joined UNC in 1974 and completed 30 years of service in June.

Friends and co-workers say they will remember her kindness and honesty. Luse recalled one incident in particular that showed her compassion.

A colleague of Tilley’s mentioned that he and his wife were about to become foster parents to twin babies. One morning, Tilley interrupted him in his office and asked him to come to the parking lot. He followed her to her car, where she opened the trunk to display an overwhelming amount of baby clothes and toys.

"She had collected the clothes and toys quietly, with no fanfare or expectation," Luse said. "This was the way she did things."

Tilley loved to celebrate holidays. She always decorated her office for Halloween and Christmas and helped her colleagues think about more than work, Luse said.

Memorial contributions for Tilley can be made to UNC Cancer Research, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, CB 7295, Chapel Hill, N.C. 27599, or the Brain Tumor Center at Duke, Duke University Medical Center, DUMC Box 3624, Durham, N.C. 27710.

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Carolina Union contact: Don Luse, 966-3120

News Services contacts: L.J. Toler, 962-8589; Deborah Saine, 962-8415