Shirley TONKIN Obituary

Our most sincere condolences to the family of Dr Shirley Tonkin.
The Board and Staff of the Auckland Medical Research Foundation

I met Shirley on a number of occasions at SIDS and College conferences. She was an amazing caring person and researcher who did an amazing amount of work to prevent and elucidate the cause of SIDS. I offer her family my sincere sympathy.
Jackie Scurlock - Perth Western Australia

I met Shirley at the 1992 SIDSI conference in Sydney and admired her ability to speak with SIDS parents not just as a researcher but as a caring mother. She taught me lots about dealing with SIDS, parents and the scientific community. She was a very fine person and will be missed by all.

The family, friends and colleagues of Shirley Tonkin, I am deeply sorry for your loss and the loss of a great woman from the SIDS research community. I met Shirly many years ago at an international SIDS meeting and enjoyed catching up with her and her important research over the subsequent years.

My deepest condolences,

Fern R. Hauck, MD, MS
Professor, University of Virginia, USA

A brilliant researcher, an expert clinician and a compassionate supporter of families. Shirley will be missed by so many. Sincere condolences to her family. Professor Jeanine Young, Australia

To Shirley's family
I wish to acknowledge the profound contribution that your mother and grandmother made to the field of infant health, within NZ and beyond. Shirley was my mentor in the early days of SIDS prevention. Her work on infant airways inspired our own education work at Change for our Children and is embedded in the very successful 'Through the Tubes' approach to protecting babies from accidental suffocation. Shirley was a treasure in the SIDS community, a lateral thinker, closely linked to the community and their realities, kind in her dealings with people, sharp in her thinking, curious and constant. While we will miss her from our meetings and conferences, she deserves to rest after such a long and wonderful life working for the children of the world. My sincere sympathies to you all at this difficult time.
Stephanie Cowan
Change for our Children (NZ)

I will greatly miss my dear friend, Shirley, a woman of grace and elegance and humility. Her contributions to our understanding of SIDS enlightened all of us to many aspects of infant behaviors and vulnerabilities. My deepest condolences to her family.

Dr Shirley Tonkin was a paediatrician who went to the house and saw for herself the effect of cot death, a disease not understood at that time. She was a woman of great compassion and rare insight into the problems she encountered every day. She was a leader in sorting out cot death in this country. My sympathies with all her family.

It was a privilege to work with Shirley as part of the Cot Death Division. Her in-depth knowledge and compassion for parents was exceptional. Very many fond memories. Sincere condolences to the family. Warm regards,
Anne Conroy

Fond memories of a compassionate lady. Thoughts are with you all.
Bill and Pat Curtis, Stratford, and family, Dianne, Lyn and Bob.