Gordon Tuffli

Gordon Andrew Tuffli, age 85, died on Wednesday, January 22, 2020 after a long and courageous battle against Parkinson’s Disease.  He was born in Chicago on October 1, 1934, to Edwin and Selma (Girbig) Tuffli.

Gordon grew up in Delavan, Wisconsin. He attended Beloit College, then served in the U.S. Coast Guard for 4 years as a Hospital Corpsman.

In 1958, Gordon moved to Madison to complete his education.  The following year, he was described as “an interesting older man” to UW classmate Karen Stahnke, he 25, she 21. They married on September 3, 1960.

Gordon received his medical degree from UW-Madison in 1964.  He practiced as a local pediatrician at the Jackson Clinic, Physician’s Plus, and in the pediatric Endocrinology Department at the UW.

Upon retirement in 1998, Dr. Tuffli served as a mentor for the UW Medical School class of 2002.  In his spare time, he enjoyed hunting, fishing, gathering morel mushrooms (berries, too) and following UW sports.

Gordon is survived by his loving wife, Karen, their children Andrea Tuffli of New Mexico, Pamela (Kent) Haselow of Delafield, and Michael Tuffli of Madison, along with grandchildren Noah, Olivia, and Ian Haselow. Gordon is also survived by brother John Tuffli of Montana and numerous relatives and friends.

The family would like to thank Senior Helpers for providing excellent in-home caretakers.  We are also grateful to the UW Hospital Trauma Unit and Agrace Hospice for their compassionate care in Gordon’s final days.

Tributes may be made online to Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (www.michaeljfox.org)  or mailed to the Michael J. Fox Parkinson Research Foundation, PO Box 4777, New York, NY 10163.