Sundquist was born on March 29, 1943, into a musical family. Her father, William Erlendson, was a music professor at San José State University, and his influence led to his daughter's prodigious debut on the piano with the San Jose Symphony Orchestra at the age of 13.

By junior high, she had discovered her love for the organ and became the organist for her home church. Among her many musical accomplishments, Sundquist received her master's and doctorate in organ performance from Stanford and performed as a concert organist all over the Bay Area, including at Grace and St. Mary's cathedrals in San Francisco.

Though religion had always been a priority, she was not ordained as an Episcopal priest until 1988. Her husband, Hal, says, "She had always been attracted to the priesthood, but until the 1980s, they did not ordain women in the Episcopal Church." Her time at seminary inaugurated the partnership of religion and music that defined the rest of her life. Since 1992, she had served as associate rector as well as organist and director of music at St. Andrew's.

It was in this position that Sundquist familiarized herself with the whole community. She taught St. Andrew's teen confirmation classes and weekly Bible study, which she loved. It was only one of the activities in which people flocked around her.

"She had a curiosity about everything and she wanted to get people equally interested," her husband says. "People were just drawn to her on so many levels."

In addition to her church activities, she took on a number of leadership positions in the area. Sundquist was involved with the board of the Santa Clara County Cancer Society and served as president of the board of the San Jose Council of Churches. As a member of a breast cancer survivor group at St. Andrew's, she helped her peers pray for health.

Her first love, her music, didn't take a backseat to her community service—it evolved into a vital part of it. She taught organ privately and consulted on pipe organ installations with various churches in the area.

"She had a magical concept of what makes an organ sound unique," Hal Sundquist says. Tina would work with churches to determine what kind of music they wanted to play and help create an appropriate setup from there.

Music was also the tie that brought the couple, married for 38 years, together. Hal recalled how they met as music students at San José State University. He even sang in the choir under her father's direction.

"She had a magnificent smile, a twinkle in her eye," he remembers.

The woman who touched so many lives and served so many also found the time to enjoy gourmet cooking and gardening.

Hal was moved by the enormous outpouring of love at her memorial service.

"It was such a testament to her life," her husband says. "She had worked with all of those people. She listened to them, and it was something they found incredibly appealing."

Gifts in the memory of Dr. Sundquist can be sent to The Music Fund of St. Andrew's Church, P.O. Box 2789, Saratoga, 95070.