Marvin I. Tillery Jr.

Marvin I. Tillery Jr., passed away September 29, 2025, 11 days short of his 89th birthday. He was born in a farmhouse in Idabel, Oklahoma, and never had a birth certificate, but loved to repeat Will Rogers' joke about not needing a piece of paper to prove he was born, because "I'm here, ain't I"? For Marvin, family lore says that he was born on October 10, 1936, so that was the established date.

Despite not being able to prove that he was born, Marvin had a full life. His father enlisted in the NM National Guard, and Marv's family moved frequently during WWII, resulting in Marv attending seven different schools by third grade. He nevertheless persisted with his studies and graduated from Albuquerque High School. He joined the Navy right after high school at the age of 17 and fulfilled his military service requirements of the time.

After his Navy service, he returned to Albuquerque and studied physics at UNM, where he met his future wife, Patricia, who was an engineering student at the time. Upon graduation, he worked at Lovelace Research Facility for several years. He was offered a chance to obtain a master's degree, and he moved to Rochester, NY, to work and obtain his degree. Once again, he returned to New Mexico, this time to Los Alamos, going to work for the Lab when it was called Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory, under the umbrella of the Atomic Energy Commission. He devoted his career to research, protecting workers from unsafe air (technically, he was an industrial hygienist studying inhalation toxicology). He spent almost 30 years with LANL's Health and Safety Division. He paused briefly in the 1990s to attend Colorado State University for a Ph.D. in Industrial Hygiene.

Marv became known in the international community; publishing many papers, presenting scientific works at meetings, and writing a chapter in a book on aerosols. He attended professional meetings across the U.S and in Europe. He said he enjoyed being in this state of evolution of our planet.

Marv and Patricia raised three kids in White Rock, NM - together creating many happy memories of hiking in Bandelier, boat trips to Abiquiu Lake, and camping all over the state. Marv loved the outdoors, Southwestern history, and fixing things. He could fix anything, from cars to watches to electronics of any kind to violins. As a hands-on kind of guy, he put a two-bedroom addition on the family home so that each daughter could have her own space. He contributed many hours of his time over the years to various charitable organizations including the Civitans and Los Cumbres which provide support for individuals with developmental disabilities. At retirement Marv began restoring violins, donating dozens to organizations for children's use.

Marv and Patricia had a long retirement, first spending a few years in Fort Collins, CO, working at CSU, where he had received his Ph.D. From there, they moved to Maricopa, AZ, then back to their beloved New Mexico in 2019. Marv passed on to his children his love of science and the outdoors, and a strong commitment to fixing problems when they see them. He was kind and indulgent to his three grandchildren. His family takes comfort in many happy memories including staying up late to watch MASH and Star Trek, working on projects together, talking about books and politics, and listening to the music he loved. He had a quirky sense of humor and couldn't carry a tune but would often attempt the opening lines of "Homeward Bound."

Marv leaves behind his wife, Patricia, of 60 plus years; three children, Stephen, (Kate), Anne (Peter), and Denise (Chris); along with three grandchildren, Rosie, Gabriel, and Miranda.

In lieu of flowers, please considers donations to the Albuquerque Public Schools Tillery-McNerney Scholarship fund, or Jim DeField or Roy Buchan scholarship funds at CSU.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, November 29th at 12:00 pm at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, 2401 12th St NW, Albuquerque, NM 87104.