Timothy Stirton

Timothy Stirton, 68, of Los Angeles, was born in San Francisco on January 23, 1952, and grew up in San Mateo with his parents, Barbara and Jack, and his older brother, John. In 1966, the family moved back to San Francisco, where he graduated from George Washington HS in 1970. He made his first film in a creative writing class in high school; there and in the Unitarian youth group, he met students who became lifelong friends. He attended the SF Art Institute and UC Santa Barbara, before taking a year to travel around the world on a shoestring budget, with extended stays in Europe, India and Nepal, returning when 21. He continued film making, earning his B.A. in Film from SF State in 1976. While at SF State and after graduation, he worked as a tour guide, interacting with and showing tourists from around the world the wonders of San Francisco-the Golden Gate Bridge, Haight-Ashbury, North Beach, Coit Tower-allowing him to develop his skills in relating to people and telling stories In 1980, Timothy moved to Los Angeles to pursue his dreams. He worked as a production assistant on various films, including the film of the Armenian genocide, "Forty Days at Musa Dagh." In 1982, he stated work at CNN, where he was a foreign correspondent producing programs on Mexico and Central America. He left CNN to pursue a career in freelance journalism, having several of his stories on national parks of Mexico and Costa Rica published. It was hard to sustain himself, so he found steady work as a field research assistant on demographic studies for USC School of Medicine. Later, he did similar work with the Rand Corp. and Kaiser Healthcare. Timothy created tinykiva, a YouTube channel that brought others with him as he discovered the beauty of nature on weekend adventures and camping trips. He led countless hikes with Great Outdoors Inc., a volunteer, gay and lesbian group, earning a Lifetime Achievement award from them. He hiked Mt. Whitney twice and trekked to Machu Picchu, as well making trips to Brazil, Mexico, and Central America. A dedicated Iyengar yoga practitioner and an ardent gardener, his lovely native plant collection was featured on garden tours and in Sunset Magazine. He was a docent with the prestigious LA Zoo, conducting tours for school children so engagingly that other docents stopped to listen. While riding his Vespa near his home, Timothy was broadsided by the driver of an SUV and died at the scene of the accident. We will be greatly missed for his sense of fun and adventure, his gusto and vitality, and his strong ties with people old and young from all walks of life. He is survived by his brother, John, and his sister-in-law, Gaylen, in Oakland, his numerous McEvoy and Stirton cousins, and many devoted friends. All are encouraged to share memories and photos on GatheringUs.com. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to Theodore Payne Foundation for Wildflower and Native Plants, Channel Island Restoration and the LA Zoo. A celebration of Timothy's life will be held at a later date.