Sumner “Tony” Tilton Jr., senior partner at Worcester law firm Fletcher Tilton and a major part of the larger Worcester business community, has passed away at age 88.
Tilton passed away on Friday evening surrounded by his family, according to an online obituary published Tuesday. Tilton’s 63-year career in Worcester saw him play a key role in growing Fletcher Tilton into a regional law firm with offices spread across Massachusetts and Rhode Island, according to a Tuesday statement from the firm.
“We stand on his shoulders in so many ways,” Fred Misilo, Jr., president of Fletcher Tilton, said in the Tuesday statement. “His guidance, generosity, and dedication to both this firm and this community leave a legacy that will endure for generations.”
Tilton was born in Worcester in 1938. He grew up in the city before graduating from Williams College and Boston University School of Law, graduating from the latter in 1963.
Tilton most recently served as chair of the firm’s investment committee and maintained an active trust and estate practice in estate planning, estate and trust administration.
Tilton formerly served on the Worcester Redevelopment Authority after helping develop the economic development corporation aimed at advancing urban renewal in the city.
He was a key member of Worcester’s civic community, having been awarded the Isaiah Thomas Award for Civic Leadership in 2008 by the Worcester Regional Research Bureau.
Tilton’s civic leadership included being a life trustee and former chairman of Clark University’s board of trustees, an honorary trustee of the EcoTarium and the Worcester Art Museum, and the former chairman of Choose Worcester, a private-public partnership looking to boost the city’s business scene.
Tilton served on numerous boards, including on UMass Memorial Health, the Mildred H. McEvoy Foundation, The Hoche-Scofield Foundation, and the Willard House and Clock Museum. He formerly served as the president of Greater Worcester Community Foundation.
He received the community service award from the Massachusetts Bar Association in 2002 and was inducted into the the Boys & Girls Club of Worcester’s Alumni Hall of Fame in 2004.
Tilton’s work in Worcester led to him receiving a total of four honorary degrees from Clark University, Assumption University, the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, and Becker College.
Tilton’s services and burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, his family requested donations in his name be made to the Cape Cod Healthcare Foundation or the Boys & Girls Club of Worcester.
Eric Casey is the managing editor at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the real estate and banking & finance industries.
