Obituary for Dr. Alice Tanner

Dr. Alice Tanner was a pediatrician in solo private practice in Glen Burnie for 34 years. During that time, she cared for thousands of children and families, earning the trust and admiration of generations of patients. It was not uncommon for her to care for parents and later welcome their children and even grandchildren into her practice. Pediatrics was more than a profession for Dr Tanner, it was her calling and her life’s work, second only to the love she had for her family. Known for her calm, nurturing demeanor, Dr. Tanner had a remarkable ability to put both children and parents at ease. Her gentle presence, compassionate heart, and thoughtful guidance made her not only an exceptional physician but also a source of comfort during some of life’s most challenging moments. Families often left her office feeling heard, supported, and reassured. To many, she was far more than a pediatrician she was a trusted partner in raising families.

She was an honors graduate of both Wells College and Albany Medical School in upstate New York, where she was born and raised. She was a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics and remained deeply committed to providing the highest standard of care throughout her career.

Her dedication extended beyond her patients. She was a beloved mentor and friend to the staff who worked alongside her. She fostered a warm and supportive environment where everyone felt valued and appreciated. Her kindness, patience, and quiet strength left a lasting impression on all who knew her.

Outside of medicine, Dr. Tanner enjoyed traveling with her family and embraced a mantra of "see stuff, do stuff, learn things." This philosophy guided adventures across Europe and Australia/New Zealand, as well as more local places. On these trips she pursued her love of photography and documenting her adventures with her family.

Above all, Dr Tanner was devoted to her family. She is survived by her loving husband of 34 years, Stephen R Judson, her son Andrew S Judson, daughter Emily P Judson, daughter-in-law Britta C Kilbourn, her brother Dwight and many nieces and nephews.

Dr. Tanner’s legacy lives on in the countless children she cared for, the families she guided, the colleagues and staff she inspired, and the friends and loved ones whose lives were enriched by her presence. Her compassion, wisdom, and unwavering dedication touched more lives than can ever be counted, and she will be deeply missed by all who had the privilege of knowing her.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the following in her memory are requested:

Maryland Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics at

https://www.mdaap.org/foundation/

American Association of University Women at

https://www.aauw.org/

The Wells College Legacy Endowed Fund at Hobart and William Smith Colleges at

https://www.hws.edu/ (Go to "Give", Select "Designation", Scroll down to "Other - donor's choice", Under "Designation" enter "The Wells College Legacy Endowed Fund")

Calling hours will be Friday, June 26, 2026 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM and Saturday, June 27, 2026 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM followed immediately by a Remembrance Service. Both located at Kirkley-Ruddick Funeral Home, 421 Crain Highway S.E., Glen Burnie, MD.

For those unable to attend, the Remembrance Service will be live streamed; and a video tribute will be available at https://www.kirkleyruddickfuneralhome.com/obituaries/dr-tanner

Eulogy for Alice Tanner

Andrew:

Consider the hummingbird. They are tiny creatures, so small that they often escape the notice of many people, but they are an endless source of joy to those who do see them and put out feeders for them. Our mom was one of these people, who noticed and loved hummingbirds. But in a lot of ways, hummingbirds also make a good metaphor for her life.

Emily:

Most people who live in the Eastern United States are familiar with one species: The Ruby-Throated Hummingbird. However, there are over 330 species of hummingbirds in North and South America, and many of them have widespread nesting ranges Just like these many other species, our mom had many titles that others knew her as. To most of you, she was Dr. Tanner.  To many of you she was Alice, or Ms. Alice. Some of you called her sister-in-law, but only the two of us got to call her Mom. To say she was an extraordinary person is not enough and there will never be a way to fully capture what she meant to so many people. We have seen your kind posts, and read your words. Please know they have given us so much comfort and a small view into how all of you knew her. Hummingbirds are tireless. They sustain a metabolism that powers a set of wings that beat over 70 times a minute. Pollinating flowers is a lot of work, and Mom was no stranger to work. She grew up on a dairy farm in Upstate New York and perhaps to many of your surprise, really knew her way around a tractor. The cows, and shoes, she could, and absolutely did, do without. She often told us about trips to the traveling book mobile, where she had already read all of the books in her age group, so the driver would bring her extra ones to read. She knew from a young age that she wanted to spend her life helping others, but the strong work ethic she passed on to both of us was built on that farm. Mom had absolutely no quit in her, and later in life her drive to “just finish one more” evoked every chore and hay bale that was asked of her in Elmira.

Andrew:

Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds are migratory and travel thousands of miles to the exact same places every year. Some of them have been observed making a flight of 500 miles without stopping, always resting in the same places. They have a very strong sense of home territory at both ends of their journey. Mom’s second home that she migrated to was such an important part of her life. Mom graduated as the valedictorian of Waverly High School and attended her beloved Wells College. There she met her roommate and lifelong best friend, Lisa Cania, who we are lucky enough to call our Aunt Lisa. Wells was more than a place of education to Mom, it was a second home. I never understood exactly what Wells meant to her, until I went there myself. On a college visit, she said “just wait until you see the lake” and it didn’t mean much to me, until we came over a hill driving down towards Aurora and saw Cayuga Lake, and I noticed tears in Mom’s eyes. I asked her what was wrong and she said, “It’s like greeting an old friend.” And to this day, I also get misty upon seeing the sunlight sparkle on the water by that tiny little school. I learned more and more about Mom in college from stories she would tell, as I grew up at what was now my second home as well. It was a special bond that the two of us always shared, and I am grateful that I was able to secondhand experience what I think was one of the happiest times in her life. Some species of hummingbird prefer the nectar of only one single flower, often to the point of evolving bills that fit their flower’s shape perfectly, and in return the flower grows so that only that kind of hummingbird can pollinate it. Mom found her preferred partner after she migrated territories once again. After college, Mom attended Albany Medical College and upon completion, moved to Baltimore to start her residency. In Baltimore, she bought a row house on Henrietta Street that she often took us to see. During this time, she decided to become a pediatrician and help children from around the area. This is also when she was introduced to our dad. Despite an unfortunate opening line and an even more unfortunate hat choice, they fell in love and got married on May 9th, 1992. Their marriage is something we both aspire to one day. They were patient, kind, and balanced each other. Mom, who had a lifelong dislike of water and all the associated sports, learned to swim so they could go sailing together. And sail they did. In races at Jug Bay, on their own boats, Fireworks and Fireworks 2, and with friends like Mr. Tom and Captain Ed.

Emily:

Hummingbirds are one of the most important pollinators on the planet, responsible for the growth of thousands of species of plants, and are viewed as vital parts of so many ecosystems. They work hard at their job and become fixtures in their communities, just like Mom. In 1992, Mom opened her own private practice in Glen Burnie where she saw thousands of patients over 34 years. Her office was open and inviting, decorated first with safari and jungle animals, then with underwater scenes she asked me to paint. The staff at her office were some of the most special and important people in Mom’s life, especially Ms. Sandy Cuzzart. The women who worked at her office over the years became an extension to our family, not needing to ask who when one of us called the office and asked, “Can I talk to mom?” Mom often came home and told us stories about her day and her patients. A personal favorite of mine is the five-year-old who tried to bribe her not to swab his throat for strep with his ice cream money. It didn’t work, and he did have strep, but it made Mom smile. We know her work often came with difficult conversations and sometimes deep sadness, but knowing she helped so many people is perhaps the most important part of her legacy.

Andrew:

Interestingly, hummingbirds are fiercely territorial over their favorite flowers and offspring, and while they rarely give voice to their displeasures, will certainly defend what is theirs with surprising force for such an unassuming bird. Mom is most often described as kind, warm, welcoming and caring. All of these things are true, but let no one be in doubt, there was steel beneath that exterior. Mom would likely give me one of those patented stares of disapproval for even sharing it, but I mean it as the most sincere of compliments. She was often quiet, but those who knew her well never mistook quietness for passivity. Mom could be absolutely formidable on occasion, but only once her unending patience had, well, ended. She had a driving work ethic that saw her through her early years, her education, and her adult life that was inspiring to behold. She rarely complained, rarely got sick (or allowed illness to register), and was relentless in the pursuit of whatever thing she had set her mind to. Changing her mind once it was made up could be impossible, and often brought us around to her way of thinking. An indomitable spirit and steel resolve should never be forgotten, even if most people knew her best as one of the kindest people in the world. I aspire to be half the warrior she was. \

Emily:

Hummingbirds are a remarkable kind of bird, and are unique in the animal kingdom in that they are the only creature that can fly backwards. Mom was truly one of a kind just like that. The one thing Mom loved more than her work was us, her family. I cannot imagine feeling any more loved than we were by her and Dad. Her love was demonstrated in so many ways, actions, words, and in the simple, calm way she stood by us in every way. She never missed a game, performance, concert, or class presentation. Mom had a dream when she was thirteen years old that she would have a daughter named Emily, and it has been the honor of my life to be her Emily. She passed on her voracious love of reading to both of us. One of both Andrew and my’s most treasured memories are her reading aloud to us. The Redwall series by Brian Jaques is about anthropomorphic woodland creatures, and she gave every single one a different accent. Those stories and her voice enchanted us and transported us every time she opened the covers. She also worked hard to share our interests. She helped create costumes for every show I was ever in. And when Andrew became interested in football, so did she. She was a surprisingly fierce fan of both the Baltimore Ravens and the Washington Capitals, often yelling at the TV during games, or hopping up to update her score counter. Every spring, when the hummingbirds returned, she would drop what she was doing to fill up their feeder and hang it up for them. She often felt that they would zip around peering in all the windows as if to say “hello, we’re here, where is our food?” just to her. And she knew they had come a long way for their special territory, so she made sure to take care of them the way she took care of us.

Andrew:

There are so many, many things that Mom loved. Fireworks, Saturday morning Uno tournaments, visits to zoos and aquariums, Jeopardy!, salmon, carrot cake. But we know it will be the everyday things that will remind us of her.

Emily:

The poet Mary Elizabeth Frye said, “Do not stand at my grave and weep/ I am not there. I do not sleep./ I am a thousand winds that blow./ I am the diamond glints on snow.” For us, we hope you think of Mom every time you see a rainbow in the sky, the sparkling deep blue of beautiful open water, or yes, the zip of a hummingbird as it flies by.

Statement of Thanks

On behalf of our son, Andrew, daughter Emily, daughter-in-law Britta and Alice's brother Dwight, I want extend our most sincere gratitude for the overwhelming outpouring of condolences and support we have received. They have come from those who came yesterday, today and are here now, as well as cards, letters, emails, phone calls, the uncountable social media postings and words at the KirkleyRuddick website. It is impossible to express properly what this means to us.

  I want to thank two very special groups. The Chesapeake Oncology and Hematology Associates at the Tate Center of Baltimore Washington Hospital Center have cared for Alice over the past several years. They have become genuine friends and are as devastated as we are. They are truly heroes not only to us, but to all who come to them and we love them deeply.   

Alice's office staff has been a bottomless well of support. And yet, they keep seeing patients, even through the tears we know they are shedding, but will not show us. We can never thank them enough.  

Andrew and Emily, your eulogy was the most fitting, beautiful tribute I could possibly imagine and far beyond and better than whatever I could say.  And you know as well as I do that she would shy away from all this attention. Finally, I hope you all find the words of the prayer cards as comforting as we do, we hold them close.

Thank you all very much for coming.