Timothy J. Slusher, 40, student and tutor at Kent State’s Trumbull campus, passed away suddenly on Jan. 21 2014.  

Slusher was a very caring and charismatic student and tutor. Elaine Shively, academic services coordinator for Kent State Trumbull, said she knew Slusher well.  

“He was a very good tutor,” she said.  “He helped so many students here at Kent State.”

He started working for the learning center at Trumbull during the spring semester of 2010. Slusher was the computer tutor and he helped many students with their computer work in all aspects.  

Stacee Stinedurf, co-worker and friend of Slusher, remembers when he tutored her before they worked together at the learning center.

“He first taught me how to use my TI-84 calculator. He pretty much taught everyone at Kent Trumbull how to use his or her calculators,” Stinesdurf said.

Slusher worked very closely with computers during his time at Trumbull campus. Although he did not work for Frank Lindsay, lead IT user support analyst, he remembers constantly being in contact with him.  “He was very helpful with students who needed it in the computer side of things,” Lindsay said. “I can remember getting calls from people asking if Tim was around for help.”  

Slusher was a very hard worker, as he was also a junior computer science major expected to graduate in 2015. He balanced his time studying for his own classes, tutoring other students and caring about all of those whom he came into contact with.  Even during difficult times of his own, including a major surgery, peers said he was very dedicated to his job as a tutor at Trumbull and returning to his own studies.

“He was a great co-worker and always very funny,” Stinesdurf said. “He was just a good person, like once you got to talk to him, he was a really caring guy.” He even stayed in contact with all his co-workers, turned friends over breaks.

Lindsay said he met with Slusher on Jan. 17, just before he passed away to discuss a new program they were planning together to help the learning center at Trumbull. “It came as a big shock, it was a big surprise to everyone here,” Lindsay said.  “He would stop in daily and was very outgoing. That was just Tim, a happy-go-lucky guy.”

“He is the definition of what it means to be a Kent State student,” Stinedurf said. “He was everything that I hold dear to me about what it means going to Kent State and I know he did, too.”

Condolences and memories of Tim can be shared at: http://www.statonborowskifuneralhome.com/obits/obituary.php?id=444023.

Contact Julia Adkins at [email protected].