Kerry Lynne Tilton

Kerry was born on March 22, 1971, in Baytown, Texas. She is survived by her wife, Melissa Bargainer; daughter, Emily Tilton and partner Garet Stuckey; parents, Gayle and Kenneth Tilton; identical twin sister and brother-in-law, Kathy and Jesse Villarreal; nephew, Joshua Villarreal and wife Courtney; and nieces, Elisabeth Zepeda and husband Gonzalo; and Rebecca Villarreal; aunt and uncle, Peggy and George Ward; uncle, David Logan Ward; cousins, David and Georgeann Ward; Susan and James Hillin; Anne and Terry Krenek; Kent and Sandra Wallace; and Michelle Wallace Wooten; along with many other dear family members and friends. She is preceded in death by her brother, Kyle David Tilton; grandparents, Lucy and Gilbert Wallace and Jerry and Lee Tilton; and aunt and uncle Janice and David Wallace.

Growing up in Lakewood, Kerry developed lifelong friendships and loved playing sports. She graduated from Robert E. Lee High School in Baytown and earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Hawai’i Pacific University and her Master of Education from the University of Houston-Clear Lake.

Kerry’s career was defined by her love for her students and colleagues and her strong work ethic. She began in Goose Creek CISD in 1999. She was a teacher and tennis coach at Robert E. Lee High School and then at Ross S. Sterling High School. She later served in administrative roles such as District Instructional Specialist in ESL, Assistant Principal/Testing Administrator at Goose Creek Memorial High School, District Student Assessment Coordinator, and Director of Assessment and Accountability for GCCISD.

Kerry will be deeply missed. She will be remembered for her kindness, generosity, and love for her family and friends. She enjoyed being near the water, having fun with friends, and sharing her life with Missy and their dogs. A master storyteller, Kerry could remember all the best things about her friends and family, and she took every opportunity to let others know how special they were. Kerry was especially proud of her daughter Emily, her greatest legacy.

A Memorial Service and Celebration of Life will be held on Tuesday, July 29th at 1 p.m. at St. Mark’s Methodist Church in Baytown.

The family wishes to thank all of the wonderful people at Houston Methodist for their compassionate care. Special thanks to Dr. Polly Niravath for her guidance throughout the journey.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Kerry’s honor to the Goose Creek Education Foundation and Texas Litter Control, a non-profit animal welfare organization; two charities that were dear to Kerry.