Tammy Jean "TJ" Atwood

Birth date: Jul 1, 1959 Death date: Aug 20, 2025

Tammy Jean “TJ” Atwood, age 66, born July 1, 1959, in Mayfield, Kentucky, passed away Wednesday August 20, 2025, at her home in Fayetteville, Arkansas. A life-long non-smoker, TJ was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in January 2 Read Obituary

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Allen Blay

7w ago

TJ was a wonderful colleague at FSU. Her kids were the same age as mine and they lived a literal stone’s throw away. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if Elijah and Nicholas played catch with stones at some point since they both loved baseball. My favorite memory of TJ is one time in an emergency she needed me to help with her house/animals/kids and I managed to set off her home alarm while I was with Perri and Nicholas. The cops showed up and I had to explain what was going on. Somehow they believed me and TJ just laughed about it. Amazingly, I think TJ still trusted me after that. TJ’s voice was recognizable anywhere and always brought a smile to my face. She was a very good mom and person. My prayers go out to Kevin, Perri and Nicholas.

Jodi Henley

9w ago

One of my favorite memories of TJ was in February of 2018, when she asked me to drive with her from Fayetteville, Arkansas to the AAA Tax Section Midyear Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana. I spent the drive quizzing her on the recently passed Tax Cut and Jobs Act to help her prepare for a "International Tax Jeopardy" event at the conference, though it quickly became clear that she was not in in need of additional practice! She went on to win Jeopardy, defeating Gary McGill of the University of Florida, Lisa DeSimone of Stanford, and, finally, the formidable Ed Outslay of Michigan State in the final tie-breaker question. We celebrated her win on our return home, and, instead of speaking about tax law and academic research, we spoke about life. She gave me advice about life within academics and maintaining a life outside of it. She shone with pride as she told me about her children: Perri, the gifted artist accepted to RISD, and Nicolaus, the talented baseball player playing on an elite travel team. TJ was one of the most knowledgeable and intelligent people I have met, and I was privileged to study under her.

Rochelle Greenberg

9w ago

TJ was a colleague of mine at Florida State University. She stood out to me for her compassion, integrity, and work ethic. The love and pride she had for her kids was evident whenever she talked about them. I am deeply saddened about her untimely passing.
Shelley Greenberg

Current & Former Arkansas Phd Students

9w ago

Sent a Blue Caribbean Bouquet to the Atwood family.

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Robyn Jarnagin

9w ago

You will be missed, TJ.

Vern Richardson

9w ago

TJ was a friend and colleague for over 30 years. We were both PhD students at Illinois; we had the same dissertation chair, Dick Dietrich. She was incredibly smart. We were lucky to have her join us at the University of Arkansas. She was a walking tax dictionary. She knew the code like no one else and was a passionate educator. I will definitely miss her. Gone way too soon. God bless you, Kevin and kids.

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