Sophie Lin Rydin, Ph.D.

Dr. Sophie Lin Rydin lived an exceptional life helping others in her many roles. She was a devoted wife, mother, sister, and daughter. She worked her way through graduate school waiting tables and completed her Masters of Occupational Therapy in 1978, serving for the next 14 years as an occupational therapist in home health, hospital, and clinic settings, eventually working her way up to Director of OT. She was a talented businesswoman, helping her husband Mike establish HCSS as a company that improved both the businesses of its construction customers and the lives of its employees, and ultimately making it one of the Best Places to Work in Texas for thirteen years running. She was a lifelong learner, working toward her PhD in 2007 while working full-time and ultimately earning her Doctorate in Occupational Therapy in 2007. She also loved to share her knowledge, and worked as a professor of OT for many years, in addition to her active roles in the Texas Occupational Therapy Association and the American Occupational Therapy Association. She was an active marathon runner, a piano player who began learning in her 60s, and a generous soul who touched the lives of every person she met.

In April 2018, Sophie was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer, and she heroically continued to teach classes at TWU throughout her numerous rounds of chemotherapy and radiation, as that was what she loved to do. She passed away peacefully on July 28, 2020 with her immediate family by her side.