Hobart and William Smith Colleges

June 10, 2025

Dear Members of the HWS Community,

I write with the very sad news that our valued colleague, Tammy VanSickle, passed away yesterday following a brief illness.

Mary and I first got to know Tammy in her work with Sodexo where she was in catering and food service management before she joined the HWS Office of the Deans as an assistant.  Her frequent presence at our house for campus events was a gift to us and our daughters - in every role she held, Tammy brought a steady, unflappable presence grounded in a deep care for the HWS community. She could be trusted with the smallest detail or the most complex responsibility – and she always delivered. She approached every task with precision and commitment, whether judging the student residence decorating contest for Homecoming and Family Weekend, guiding students through their college experience, organizing faculty regalia for Commencement, or ensuring the highest standards of hospitality at campus events. She made things happen with competence and heart.

Even in her final days, she was thinking of others, asking me about the students who worked in her office and hoping they were doing well in their summer internships and first jobs. Just last week, she sent good wishes as we headed into Reunion, knowing firsthand the energy and care it takes to make an event of that magnitude possible.

Tammy’s kindness, loyalty and good humor touched so many of us. Among my favorite memories is the close friendship she shared with her colleague Pat Heieck P’88, L.H.D. ’10, who led catering at HWS for many years. During major events, Tammy and Pat could often be seen crisscrossing campus by golf cart, ensuring every detail was just right. Tammy’s legacy lives on in that same spirit of care and dedication we saw this past weekend.

Please keep Tammy’s husband, Bill; her mother and stepfather, Nancy and Don; her children Jesse, Jeremy and Joel; and her grandchildren, Delilah and Logan, in your thoughts during this difficult time. We will share information about a celebration of her life as soon as it becomes available.

Hobart and William Smith is a better place because of Tammy VanSickle, and we honor her memory.

Sincerely,

Mark D. Gearan
President