Dr. Michael Lawrence Tilly
November 4, 1944 ~ July 4, 2020
Dr. Michael Lawrence Tilly, 75, of New Braunfels, TX passed away peacefully at his home on the morning of July 4, 2020. Born in New Orleans, LA in November of 1944, Dr. Tilly was the son of the late Emil "Milo" Tilly and Mae Fakier Tilly. He grew up in Alvin, TX and graduated high school in 1963. After high school, Dr. Tilly attended Baylor University and graduated with a B.A in Chemistry in 1967. Upon graduation, he attended University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston and earned his M.D Degree in 1971. After Medical School he moved to San Antonio, TX and completed his internship at University of Texas Health Science Center in 1972.
In addition to his impressive educational career, Dr. Tilly was also a proud Air Force Veteran. He graduated from the United States Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine at Brooks Air Force Base in 1972 and served as a Flight Surgeon from 1972 – 1974. He was honorably discharged from the USAF in 1974 and returned to San Antonio.
Dr. Tilly completed his Residency in General Surgery at University of Texas Health Science Center in 1978 and started his private practice in New Braunfels, TX. He practiced General and Peripheral Vascular Surgery in New Braunfels from 1978 – 2010 and held numerous positions of leadership during his career. Among them were Associate Medical Director of Hospice and Medical Director of Hospice New Braunfels and Chief of Surgery at McKenna Memorial Hospital. Dr. Tilly finished his career as Chief Medical Officer of Christus Santa Rosa Hospital in New Braunfels, TX and retired in 2017.
Throughout his long and distinguished career, Dr. Tilly touched countless lives through his selfless service to the community and his skill in the Operating Room. His generosity frequently overshadowed the auspicious career he had as a surgeon. He would often accept payment for surgery from those who were less fortunate in the form of the lawn being mowed at his office or even something as small as a basket of fresh eggs. He was a true steward of the compassionate and noble spirit of the medical profession. He will be missed not only by his family, but by so many more in the community that he served along the way.
Michael loved to stay active and spend time outdoors. He was an ardent snow skier and enjoyed the slopes in Taos and Steamboat. His love of hiking led him on many adventures, and Big Bend was one of his favorite places to hike. He read thousands of novels during his lifetime and it seemed that there was not a word in the dictionary that he did not know.
Dr. Tilly was a loving father to his children, Allison Tilly Carswell, Stephen Michael Tilly and Dominique Tilly. He was a loving grandfather to his grandchildren, Calvin Carswell, Mitchell Carswell, Jasper Carswell, Chase Michael Tilly and Tyler “Cash” Tilly. He is survived by his brother, John Froberg and nieces Jessica and Jaime, his sister Shannon Piefer and nieces Stephanie and Stacy and Allison Tilly Carswell’s wife Karen McKeen.
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To the family of Michael Tilly. I worked at McKenna for 22 years with Dr. Tilly. He was also, as he often told others, my “family surgeon”. I can’t count how many surgeries he has performed on my family but with each one I never worried because I knew he would take good care of us. For a nurse that is sometimes hard but I always had every confidence in his abilities. He was a teacher of medicine and often corrected my grammar as he explained his undergrad degree was in English. I have many funny and wonderful memories of my time working with him and his passing leaves me with much sadness. I pray for peace for him and your entire family. With kindest regards and blessings. Joni Salazar RN
Dr Tilly was the most skilled, compassionate surgeon I have ever worked with. It was an honor to serve beside him. Patty Toney VP/CNE CHRISTUS Health
oh I am so very sad at the loss to the word of such a wonderful, caring, talented man… Dr. Tilly is the only surgeon to have done procedures on all members of my family that needed them… My father LOVED that this man always wore his cowboy boots at his office visits. When I had to have a surgery back in 1995 and had no insurance, he did surgery the night before Thanksgiving and charged me a nominal amount, then told the staff I was allowed to pay it off however I needed to… I worked hard to make sure he was the FIRST one paid… He was a bit intimidated by the nurses on the Womens Services floor way back when we were the “old” McKenna… (I was one of those nurses) and I loved to see him come to our unit… Thank you to his family for sharing his with us while we LOVED to work with him… thank you. Thank you Dr. Tilly… a life well lived… we loved you… <3
Dr. Tilly was one of the nicest surgeons I have ever worked with in my over 35 years of OR nursing. He was always willing to help teach nurses, was always pleasant in the operating room, and was an excellent, compassionate surgeon. His bedside manner was exemplary. All of his patients and their families loved him. Rest in peace, Dr. Tilly.
Dr. Tilly will never be forgotten and always remembered with a smile from me. He is the one who convinced me that I had to open my own business 12 yrs ago, next door to him so he could come over and give me all his advice on how to run my business. ha. He was unique, funny, brilliant and I learned a lot from him and will miss him tremendously. My heart goes out to his family. RIP my friend, you were special.
Mike Tilly was not only my doctor but a very good friend for many years. He made peoples lives better either through his incredible surgical skills or just giving a helping hand and in many cases asking nothing in return. I had many conversations with him over the years either on the tennis court, working with him on various projects or just chatting. He was extremely proud of his Children and Grandchildren and all their accomplishments and loved them dearly. I loved him and will miss him – God bless, Howard
Allison and Stephen, I am so sorry to learn that your dad has passed away. I have such fond memories of your entire family and especially think of you, Allison, and our friendship throughout our younger years. You all cross my mind to this day more often than you would realize. I’m so sorry you now have to cope with losing your amazing father, but I know your memories of him will comfort you and allow you to feel his presence always. My sincere best to you all. Much love, Rhonda
I’m so sorry for your loss. Dr Tilly was a very good man I had the honor to work with him and for him at the his office and at McKenna memorial Hospital. My condolences to the family. Mary Cabello
Fond memories of a special family in the neighborhood and their precocious children. A talented surgeon and a selfless mother who loved her children devotedly. Sincere condolences to Allison & Stephen who have endured such pain & heartbreak. Our thoughts & prayers are with you and yours! Sincerely, David & Karen Rayburn
We came to meet when I worked an Operating Room Scrub Tech at McKenne Memorial Hospital. He never thought less of anyone, especially of me and my family. We remained friends throughout until he last few months. Rest In Peace my friend until we meet again😕
Dr. Tilly was a wonderful doctor, surgeon and person. I cut his hair for many years. He was always ready to share a good joke.
Allison and Stephen, I was reading the San Antonio ExpressNews this morning, and learned of your father’s passing. I’m very sorry for your loss. Prayers for comfort and peace to you and your families. God bless, Jane Strawther Knapik
What a blessing it was to have Dr. Tilly as one of the most dedicated physician in New Braunfels. God bless his children…Margie Robinson and children, Jeff, Debra, and Rick and their families.
I was so sorry to read this today in the San Antonio Obituaries. Condolences to Allison and Stephen (I did not have the pleasure of meeting Monique). May the memories you have bring you comfort at this sad time. I pray that your dad may Rest In Peace. He was always a great friend to me and my family. Prayers to you and yours, Connie Cunningham
Emmie L. Ikels. A very special person passed this way.
Dr. Tilly was a amazing surgeon. He promised me my scar would not be noticeable. I was 17 and had thyroid cancer and so nervous about my surgery. He played such a major role in that time in my life and was so caring about my worries. Almost 20 years later and when I share my story with people, they tell me, my surgeon must have been awesome, cause you still can’t see my scar. He still said hello to me when I’d see him around NB. Thank you Dr. Tilly for keeping your promise. May you Rest In Peace and my condolences to the Tilly family.
RIP Doc. I will never forget your kindness & sense of humor. There was a time where he once joked about putting a zipper on my stomach. He had to repair several hernias in the same place yr after yr & said “ I’m just gonna put a zipper there so, next time ya come in it’ll be easier ta open”! & one yr Doc came in & said I needed surgery again. I went into the hospital went into surgery, woke up & said “ hey Doc, you did good this time, I don’t have no pain”! Doc told me with a smile, “ That’s because you didn’t have surgery. You had an allergic reaction to the meds & we had to pretty much bring you back”! I told him “ Ohhhh, you’re still good. Thanks for not killing me”. We both just laughed. He was definitely one of the good guys, He will definitely be missed. My Sincerest condolences to the family. God bless y’all
I will miss Dr Tilly. When I first came to town, he modeled to me what the best doctor was. One that is caring, thoughtful, and most of all. the best of the best. I remember scrubbing in with him many, many times, and each time was a learning experience. Besides his knowledge of medicine, he shared with me his love for coin collecting, we could talk about that for hours. ( And we did, driving to coin shows.) He would never refuse me a consultation, he took whatever I threw at him, especially that hard stuff, which he really relished. He was definitely Old School, but I loved and respected him for that.
I had the privilege of working with Dr. Tilly for 20 plus years at McKenna and Christus Santa Rosa. Dr. Tilly was a revered surgeon who could competently handle any situation. His calm demeanor and decisiveness were respected by his colleagues and the OR staff. Although he could be intimidating, when Tilly spoke, people listened. His witty cliches, his sense of humor, and his excellent skills were missed after he retired. Those of us who worked with him repeat many of his sayings and recall his favorite stories regarding life in New Braunfels as a physician. He will live on through these memories for those of us who worked with him. As a close friend to Mike, I will miss him. May he Rest In Peace. My condolences to his family. His children were the pride of his life. Brenda Covey
Dr. Tilly was a gentle soul who was my neighbor, my friend & an excellent surgeon. His wife Diane was equally compassionate & and loving to everyone she met. Both of their children Stephen & Allison were gifted & talented. Condolences to Michael’s family. Their deaths were a loss to the New Braunfels community. Sincerely… The Rayburn Family David, Karen, Amanda, & Jon David
So sorry to hear of Mike’s passing. We graduated from high school together. I remember he was the only boy in our crowd who had a Vespa motorbike. He also was the reason I passed chemistry. Our crowd had some fun times. Joyce Owen