Obituary of Matilda D. Stimmel

Matilda “Tillie” Stimmel passed away of natural causes on May 30, 2021 in Hilton Head Island, SC. Tillie was born on April 20, 1932 to Rudolph J Sowko and Julia Lenio Sowko in Monessen, PA. As an adolescent, she was an accomplished gymnast winning several awards as a member of the Charleroi Turners. She continued competing as a gymnast at the collegiate level at Slippery Rock State Teacher’s College, graduating from Slippery Rock with a Bachelor of Science degree in Heath Education. Tillie met her future husband, Kenneth L Stimmel Jr at Slippery Rock and they were married in 1954 settling in Bethel Park. She started her 30-year teaching career at Bethel Park Junior High School, but spent most of her career in the Mt. Lebanon School District at Hoover Elementary, where she taught physical education and health. In her spare time, she loved traveling, gambling, playing cards, and doing ceramics. Tillie is survived by her two children, Dr. Julia E Stimmel, PhD of Hilton Head Island, SC and Harold W Stimmel of Wichita, KS; her son-in-law, Jeff L Tomlinson; her daughter-in-law, Christine Rodriguez Stimmel; and her two grandchildren, Nicole Ashley Stimmel and Kenneth Lindley Stimmel. A Celebration of Life will be held later this year for friends and family that would like to remember Tillie.