Judy, Ken and I are so sorry for your loss. We so enjoyed meeting you both and visiting with you at Hinckley. And always fun dancing!
We loved looking through the photos. Looks like you and Tim had some great times and made great memories.

I met Tim for the first time in his office at the Lexington building and knew instantly that I wanted to join his team of Field Clinical Engineers. I was in awe of him and how he spoke about the excellence, honor, and responsibility of the team that he led. I am so grateful for Tim giving me that opportunity to join the team that I will forever be associated with.
Tim had an ability to connect personally, with total trust, and in a way that made him loved by so many. He was a true leader.
I miss Tim. I send my prayers and deepest sympathies to the Lathrops.

Tim is someone I will always remember, and he had a true impact on me and my career at Medtronic. I met Tim when I started at Medtronic in 1999. As soon as I learned of the field organization that he lead (which had 18 FCEs at the time), I was intrigued. I set up time to discuss his field team within a couple of months of starting, and the opportunity to join his field org when they created the FCRA role. When interviewing for the position, Tim recalled meeting with me when I started, and he knew I would be interested. The field team has always had a family feel to it, and I attribute that to Tim himself. I had the opportunity to learn great leadership skills from the very best and feel very blessed for this. My heartfelt sympathy goes out to Judy and Tim's family.

Tim was such an inspiration to everyone he managed. He knew in his core how to glue an organization with morale and build relationships from the bottom up. I would get random calls from Tim during the week, expecting them to be about compliance or a physician issue, only to find he had a question such as "if you were driving a car the speed of light, and turned on the headlights, would they be able to shine on the road?" These calls were just as much about building relationship as they were about satisfying his curiosity.
Tim always had a unique perspective on life and was full of surprises. I remember during a drive with Tim from Huntsville AL to Atlanta GA we saw a beet stand on the side of the road. He insisted I pull over while he hopped out and bought a quart of beets. He explained he was on an Only-cabbage-and-beets diet, and already had cabbage at his hotel. The next morning he regaled me with how he'd made cabbage and beet soup using only the coffee maker in his room....yum!
Tim was one of the most caring individuals I know, and helped make my time at Medtronic one of the most special in my career. He will be surely be missed.

BBQ –
Who doesn’t remember Tim’s love of BBQ and even more specifically BBQ sauce. I can remember on one of Tim’s first trips down to visit me in Florida. He asked if we could stop for lunch to get BBQ. Of course I was always up for BBQ myself. However, before lunch he said we needed to stop at Walmart to get a couple gallon containers. When I asked why – he just replied “it’s for the sauce”. I wasn’t sure I understood until we got to Shorty’s and Tim asked the guy behind the counter to fill up the jugs with BBQ sauce. To say the least I was amazed. I have a theory that during retirement Tim and Judy spent the winters in Florida not to skirt the frigid Minneapolis winter but instead came to Florida each winter to stock up on his favorite BBQ sauce from Shorty’s. :) My memories of Tim will always give me a reason to smile.

Tim will be greatly missed. He always greeted us with a smile and showed so much interest in our lives and adventures. He lived a life full of joy and left quite a legacy at Medtronic and beyond. We love you Rach, Judy & Jeff!

I am a friend of Tim's daughter Rachel. I'm sending hugs and love to each member of the Lathrop family as well as all those that knew Tim. Although I grew up with Rachel, I really only spent the last few years getting to know Tim. I will miss seeing him at the finish line of the Twin Cities marathon and 10 mile. I will miss the pick-ups from the airport in the minivan, with lots of questions about our trips - Rachel and I love to travel! I will cherish the stories I'm reading from others that knew Tim.

A few years ago I noticed my dad wearing the same white Reebok dry fit with yellow stripes on each side. Every time I would visit Clearwater he would have it on. The next day he would come out of his room with it on. I finally said “Dad, you have to wear a clean shirt!” He said it is clean Jeff, I wouldn’t put a dirty shirt on! He followed with “I couldn’t pass up a deal so I bought 10 of them!”
Stay tuned for more stories. Miss you so much Dad! Reading all the posts from your colleagues at Medtronic makes me wish I had the chance to work for you....

This is Gloria; Papa Tim’s youngest granddaughter. I loved it whenever we would call him, he would ask us how many boyfriends we had! I was only 7 when he started asking me that!! I also loved it when he would sit me down and give me long, long pep talks and just talks and advice that he thought would be helpful in my life going on. I still remember them all today.
Love your favorite family member, Gloria Lathrop

I consider Tim to be person responsible for bringing my husband and I together. Keith (my boyfriend at the time) had just been hired and was working for Tim and we took him out for dinner in College Station, TX during one of their recruiting trips. I was about to move to NY for grad school and Keith was working in Kansas City - we were both pretty independent people and hadn't really talked about marriage at that point. When Keith went to get us all drinks, Tim just looked at me and said "so do you love the guy or what?" And then proceeded to tell me that we should stop wasting our time and go for it (get married) cause we were a great match. What I didn't know, was that he proceeded to tell Keith the same thing when I went to the restroom. Consequently, Tim was right (as usual) - we were engaged a short time later and have been married almost 20 years now. To this day, I love how Tim didn't beat around the bush and always knew how to mentor and coach others (in personal and professional matters :) He is the reason that we've had a great life together and he will be remembered for this, and so much more. He's been such an instrumental person in both my life and in Keith's and we feel so very fortunate for that. - Amber

I'm saddened to hear of Tim's passing and our thoughts are with the entire Lathrop family. I always knew that when Tim would come out and do site visits, we'd get our 10,000 steps in - well before it was fashionable to do so. Tim's dedication to his family and his employees set an example that many of us have tried to live up to.

At the time I was hired, the FCE organization had two separate managers - Tim and John Rueter with Tim having the eastern United States and John the western. While there was a friendly rivalry between the groups, it was always clear that we had one focus - to conduct our clinical studies at the highest levels of accuracy, integrity, and safety while maintaining our important relationships with our investigators. After leaving the group for a few years, I rejoined at Tim's urging, and, by that time, Tim was the sole manager of the group. Tim clearly enjoyed his role as FCE manager and loved to mentor, not just about the job, but about other aspects of life as well. When Tim visited, I could always count on lots of walking, lots of talking, and lots of BBQ. Tim was meticulous (anyone who saw his lawn could see that) and yet he could be relaxed and easygoing at the same time. Within Medtronic, Tim built a legacy of a quality organization that lives on and in the people he hired who continue to hear his words of encouragement and passion.
I feel blessed to have had Tim as a manager. He was, by any reasonable definition, a true servant leader.
My most heartfelt condolences to Judy, Rachel, and Jeff.

I was so fortunate to get to know and work with Tim during my first couple years in the field, as an FCRA. I was always impressed with the pride he had in his field organization, and the work he and his field did! 
I will never forget the day I was hired into the field organization - I was so thrilled and proud to be a part of it! I sure wish I could have had more time with Tim, as he was an incredible man, and he truly is a part of why I'm still so proud to be in the Field organization! I pray for comfort for Tims family during this difficult time. I will never forget Tim!

Tim hired me as an FCE and into Medtronic in 1994. I quickly learned how fortunate I was to be a part of such a wonderful company - and even more fortunate to be a part of the FCE organization. Tim set and drove the culture in this organization which still continues today. His passion for the organization and Medtronic never wavered. I was saddened to hear about his sudden death, but know that his legacy will live on at Medtronic and through all the individuals that Tim came into contact with. God bless his family during these difficult times.

Tim hired me as the first FCE in Canada around 1989 and was responsible for me having a wonderfully rewarding career for another 21 years until I semi-retired.
He would travel with me to sites and was very gracious with all our customers/investigators. I learned that during his early years with Medtronic he was up to Toronto General visiting a Dr. David MacGregor for the old epicardial lead study. Dr. MacGregor kept telling him to call him David not doctor but Tim couldn’t quite do it – much to the doctor’s amusement. Customers really enjoyed meeting him and appreciated his attention.
He was a fierce defender of the FCEs: he fought for more appropriate salaries and bonuses (FCE’s were being “stolen” by our competition). He strongly encouraged additional training and having us help with training in-house staff (TEI). He strongly encouraged team building with annual meetings – often in Hawk’s Cay resort. This was always a successful opportunity to get to know our in-house teams and learn from our field colleagues.
We enjoyed long walks with Tim.
I am sad that he has gone and sad that I haven’t kept in touch over the years.
Bless you Tim.

I had the opportunity to work for Tim as an FCE from 1981-1989. He was an outstanding manager who gave it all for the entire FCE organization. We always had a blast on his field trips to my territory, and meeting our customers. I always had to locate an “economic” hotel and restaurant at his request. Sometimes he even brought a can of tuna fish to grab a quick meal. He strongly encouraged me to fly Peoples Express Airlines to the cities I served, as fares were always $29....even though I had to drive an extra 90 minutes to get to Newark, NJ, instead of Philadelphia, where I lived. He definitely saved Medtronic a fortune! Lol
   He was in his glory when new products were entering clinical trials. When the FCE organization was selected to be the pilot users for the first laptop communications (using a Radio Shack TRS 80) he was ecstatic. Financially, Tim and I shared financial ideas. We both cried in October, 1987, when the stock market and Medtronic crashed to nearly 2/3 its prior value. I was afraid to tell my wife. But Tim was right, it would return.......by 2000, several more splits occurred, a great run,
   I left the FCE organization in 1989, for a Medtronic career in sales, until I retired in 2015. It was a difficult decision, knowing Tim, would no longer be my manager. I wish I had kept in better contact.
   He was an outstanding individual, had a great sense of humor, and a wonderful person. He would do anything for his FCE’s.
   My sympathies go out to Judy, Rachael, and Jeffrey.
Bob Cohen

I had the great pleasure of working with Tim Lathrop a number of years ago at Medtronic. He was such a compassionate leader and nurturer teams. This included those he hired as well as peers and management. His true gift was finding talent. He was constantly recruiting for Medtronic. When he had the opportunity to hire individuals, he had a slate of talented individuals to bring through the interview process. Once this talent was hired, he developed these individuals into future leaders through constant coaching. This included recommending inspirational reading on building organizations, financial advice, parenting advice, you name it he provided it. Tim's teams made tremendous contributions to Medtronic and patients by supporting on-time recruitment and high quality completion of clinical trials. These trials contributed to many product approvals which have impacted millions of lives. Tim leaves a strong legacy of leadership that will continue to improve the lives of others. I feel so fortunate to have know him and so sad to know that I will not have another opportunity to see is smiling face. My heart goes out to Judy and to Tim's family. 
I think that Tim is the epitome of this poem
by Raymond Carver
Late Fragment
And did you get what
you wanted from this life, even so? 
I did.
And what did you want?
To call myself beloved, to feel myself
beloved on the earth.

I had the pleasure of working for Tim for many years, and he was an awesome manager and leader. I learned many valuable lessons from him, and I feel very fortunate to have known him. I was shocked to learn about his death, and I wish I would have stayed in touch with him more frequently after his retirement. I hope Judy and Tim’s family find some comfort in knowing how many people have been positively affected by Tim during his time on earth.

Within days of my starting as a clinical study manager at Medtronic, Tim sat me down for a talk. He warmly welcomed me, he talked about and reinforced the Medtronic Mission and what my role was. In his unique and passionate way, he explained to me in no uncertain terms that my success as a study manager and the success of the study, was directly related to how I interacted with his FCE's. Oh....and by the way...."don't screw it up Larry!" This was of course followed by a big Tim laugh. But I got the message (he was, of course, absolutely right). Over the years, I came to know Tim better also as a friend and not just a colleague. Too many good times, stories, and laughs to reflect here without eliciting too many tears. My heartfelt sympathy to Judy and Tim's family and also to those he led in the organization he founded. We lost a genuinely decent and kind human being that inspired many. His legacy is forever intact.