Lathrop, Timothy Jon Age 71, passed suddenly on March 30th while wintering in Clearwater Beach, FL. Tim was born in San Francisco, CA on June 24th, 1947. He attended high school in St. Petersburg where he met his bride to be, Judy. He completed his undergraduate degree at the University of South Florida and his masters at the University of Hartford. After college, both Tim and Judy felt a strong calling to serve in the Peace Corps. This calling led them to the beautiful country of Liberia, West Africa, where their son Jeffrey (tribal name, Sundaygar) was born. They spent three incredible years in Liberia and they were probably the most formative years for Tim. He achieved great satisfaction in teaching the sciences in both the Nursing and Medical Schools in Monrovia. Tim was responsible for establishing the first EKG unit in the country. He also helped start the first Nursing School program, as well as has help administrate JFK Hospital in Liberia. Upon leaving the country due to the unfortunate civil war, Tim secured an interview with Medtronic here in Minnesota. After learning about Medtronic's Mission, he felt compelled to move the family and be part of this revolutionary biomedical device company. Tim was considered one of the best people managers Medtronic has ever had. He spent 31 years managing at Medtronic and retired in 2006. His daughter Rachel is following in his footsteps and has now been at Medtronic for 20 years. Early in his retirement, Tim found a passion for walking. He walked 900 miles during his first winter in Florida. He also walked a total of 16 Grandma's Marathons. He loved attending live music and his heroes have always been Beethoven and Mozart. He would spend hours and hours listening and studying their brilliance. His most recent love has been his beautiful grandchildren, Grace and Gloria. Tim was preceded in death by his mother, Jeanne Lathrop; father Lt. Colonel George Edward Lathrop, MD; and more recently, his brother, Colonel George Dennis Lathrop, MD. Tim is survived by his amazing wife of 51 years, Judy Lathrop; his sister Stephanie (Ron) Sparling; his daughter Rachel Lathrop; his son Jeffrey Lathrop; as well as his two granddaughters Grace Ellen and Gloria Genevieve Lathrop. Please join Tim's family in celebrating his life on May 6th at 4:00 pm at The Bakken Museum. 3537 Zenith Ave South, Minneapolis, MN 55416.

Published on April 24, 2019