Otto Thilenius, MD, PhD'62, died December 27, 2017 after suffering a stroke three days earlier. Thilenius came to the University of Chicago at the beginning of his career after completing his medical studies in his native Germany, and remained in Chicago for the rest of his life. A pediatric cardiologist on the faculty of the Pritzker School of Medicine, he published many papers as well as maintaining a distinguished medical practice for close to half a century. In retirement, he spent ample time pursuing his lifelong love of the arts, actively and enthusiastically supporting the music programs of Rockefeller Chapel and the productions of Court Theatre, as well as the independent artists of Door County, WI, where he and his wife Elsbeth maintained a summer home for almost fifty years; with his grandchildren in Australia and California; and with the spiritual and philosophical quests that underlay his extensive conversations with family and friends over many decades.

He is survived by his wife, Elsbeth Thilenius, his three children, Hans and Stephen Thilenius and Anja van Swinderen and their spouses, and his grandchildren. A memorial service was held at Rockefeller Chapel on January 4, 2018, with excerpts from Fauré's Requiem and Brahms' Ein Deutsches Requiem sung in his honor.

-Elizabeth Davenport, Dean of Rockefeller Chapel