Pauline Maria Tyack-Hunt died peacefully on Wednesday, Aug. 27, in the loving arms of her husband, Herb Hunt, with her parents at her side. She was 42 years old. With extraordinary strength, Mrs. Tyack-Hunt fought to live through an aggressive cancer because of her passionate love for her young sons, Ned and Will. She exemplified grace and grit the whole way through, inspiring a legion of close friends and admirers with her bright intelligence, open-hearted warmth and enthusiasm for life. She is held in the hearts of many as a “bright and shining star.”
Mrs. Tyack-Hunt was born in Hammersmith, London, England, on Dec. 31, 1965. She lived her early life in Kingston and Surbiton, England, and attended Lady Eleanor Holles School in Hampton, where she was a top student and a keen lacrosse and tennis player. In 1983, she received an Exhibition Scholarship to St. Anne’s College, Oxford University, where she earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in law. A brief stint working in London law offices convinced her to shift to a career in marketing instead. While working for the Aldus Corporation in England, she transferred from London to Seattle in 1994. Following the Aldus/Adobe merger in 1995, she became a Senior Marketing Manager for Adobe Systems before starting her own successful technology marketing consulting business in 1999. Her current firm, Tyack-Majerus Marketing & PR, continues to assist a variety of technology companies to mature their marketing strategies.
Mrs. Tyack-Hunt moved to Mercer Island with her husband, David Collings, in 1997. They had two children, Ned and Will, prior to Mr. Collings’ death in 2001. In 2003, Mrs. Tyack-Hunt met and married her soulmate, architect Herb Hunt, as he designed an exquisite Mutiny Bay home for her on Whidbey Island.
Mrs. Tyack-Hunt is survived by her husband, Herb Hunt, and their children, Edward Collings Hunt (Ned), William Collings Hunt (Will), Breanne Hunt and Cameron Hunt. She is also survived by her mother and stepfather, Wendy and Alan Perriam of England; her father and stepmother, Tim and Angela Tyack of Italy; her mother-in-law, Marilyn Collings of Tucson, Ariz.; her sister, Penelope Perriam of England; her brother, Alistair Perriam, of Spain; and her brothers, Sebastian and Silas Tyack, of England. Besides her husband, David Collings, she was preceded in death by her beloved grandparents, Irene Brech and Dr. Edward Brech.
A celebration of Mrs. Tyack-Hunt’s life will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 4, at the Mercer Island Presbyterian Church, 3605 84th Ave. S.E., Mercer Island. Remembrances are suggested to the Safe Crossings Foundation, whose mission is to help children cope with grief: www.safecrossingsfoundation.org, 6548 51st Ave. N.E., Seattle, WA 98115. The family would like to express their profound gratitude to the members of the “Pauline Patrol,” who have helped the family with meals, childcare and medical appointments these past two years.
