Jeffrey W. Tyler

Jeffrey W. Tyler

June 10, 1963 - December 20, 2017

Jeffrey W. Tyler

June 10, 1963 - December 20, 2017

Obituary

My Brother Jeff

Jeffrey William Tyler was born on June 10, 1963.  He was a sensitive, caring and selfless son and brother.  He was four years younger than me.  Always tended wander off as a little kid.  Once, he stayed out way too long (this when all kids would go out and play unsupervised after school.)  Our Mom called the police, and when they were asking questions, Jeff showed up” with flowers he picked for Mom.  She was hard put to be mad at him.

The memory of one event would create an imprint on him that would last all his life.  When he was 6 and me 10, we were out with our Dad in the desert just below the Franklin Mountains in El Paso, Texas. We would often just go out and look around.  I was down in a ravine looking at whatever, my Dad was looking at certain sediments and rocks, and Jeff was up on the hill just throwing stuff around in some imaginary fight with some cartoon villain.  As part of this, he tossed a rock, without looking where he was throwing it.  He beaned me right in the head, knocking me over and creating a cut on the top of my head.  It was not that bad, but my Dad took me to the hospital for stitches.  It did not really hurt, and I was getting a lot of attention from nurses, so I was fine.  I do remember how upset Jeff was.

Years later, the last time I saw Jeff in person, he recalled the event and how our Dad said how disappointed he was in him.  This just cut him so deeply, and in my mind it really was a nothing event.

Jeff went to school at UTEP and I would only see him occasionally after that.   But we did go on a backpacking trip together for a few days.  He was very kind to me at that time as I was going through a divorce. He was always kind to me that way.

He would tell us about his life in Fort Worth and the FAA.  As I go through his things, I am learning about his life during this time and it is nice to know what a good life he led.

But the last few years, I worked with him closely as he first took care of our Mom for a number of years as she got sick.  She had moved to Ft. Worth three miles or so from his house, so he could take care of her.  When she died, he took her dogs Sinbad and Munchkin in.  He had never had pets before.

After our Mom died, Jeff moved to California to help with our Dad after his long time wife died.  Our Dad was in Assisted Living and Jeff would go by 3 or 4 times a week and spend several hours with our Dad driving him around and taking him to lunch.  He brought Sinbad, a border collie, with him from Texas, Munchkin having passed on.  I now have Sinbad.

Jeff was such a stalwart brother for me.   He was during the last few years such a support system for me.  Always there for me and my family.   I trusted him more than anyone ever.   He was unfailingly honest.    I have remarked that if I stuck my head outside and got a face full of rain, and then went inside and was told by Jeff it was sunny and dry, I would know Jeff was right, without further checking, and that I had made a mistake.    Jeff in addition to being honest was an engineer, so if he had said something was true, he had checked it out.  He was always 100% true.   I don’t know anyone else like that.

Jeff will be deeply missed.

Russ Tyler

 

 

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7 responses to Jeffrey W. Tyler

  1. Andy Velayos says:

    Where to begin, Jeff was such a selfless, giving, and caring human being. Jeff and I started working together in 1992. I was working in the Terminal Airspace Navigational Aids section while Jeff was working in the En-route Airspace Navigational Aids section. His area was considered the “glam boys” while ours was more of the “easy” stuff. Regardless, we didn’t really talk a lot until years later when several of the “boys” departed for other ventures and Jeff was left behind. We then started to realize that we had several hobbies in common, namely motorcycles, golf, and of course, food! Jeff had an old Honda Hawk. Not sure where he got it, but it was definitely a “project” bike. I also had a Honda, but it was more of a “rocket.” Regardless, we often met on weekends to go for short rides to some place yummy to eat. Fast forward to this century and that is where I discovered that Jeff could hit a mean dimple ball. It was interesting because he did not play often, practiced even less, but hit the ball with a “right to left” ball flight, whereas most amateurs do the opposite. I often teased him that was because he had to wrap the club around his belly, but not sure that theory held water. Ohh and did he have a favorite golf club, the handy six iron. He could do all things with that club, from teeing off, to long hits, to approach shots. I even think he putted with it from time to time. It was during one of our golf outings that Jeff introduced me to Fireball, cinnamon whisky, argh!!!
    Now to the selflessness, around 2005 we decided to buy a dilapidated house, well a place we like to call home. Truth be known, it should have been demolished, but alas, we are still there, and a big part due to Jeff’s help. I’ll never forget, one day I mentioned changing out a toilet, and Jeff volunteers to help, what! So, there he is helping me pull the old one and handy as he always was, installing the new. I never knew that electronic engineers knew so much about plumbing?! Anyhow, it didn’t end there. We had all kinds of electrical issues that he volunteered to help us with. One in particular was an electronic-capacitor induced-lighting control gizmo. I don’t know if it was high or low voltage stuff but Jeff was more than happy to dive right in and help us get it fixed. That was Jeff, anytime we needed anything at all, he was more than happy to lend a hand.
    That brings us to the more present present. Jeff and my wife Shannon had been collaborating for several years on what to do with your mom’s house. She had been gone for several years and essentially the house had been vacant for a long time. Jeff knew that Shannon has a passion for design, and thus started to pick her brain on getting the house ready for sale. It was a fun relationship to see the two of them get after the house. Jeff, like myself, would paint everything white, grey, or whatever leftover paint we could find. Shannon, OTOH, made sure that the house was painted appropriately and that all the colors, flooring, texture, etc. worked just right. During the project, Jeff may have fallen through the ceiling, may have shocked himself once or twice, and may have encountered some major plumbing issue, etc. Regardless, I really think that as bad as the house was, as annoying as the project presented itself, Jeff enjoyed working on it, similar to his days in the FAA, on seeing something done right from beginning to end. He was even able to make more profit than he ever imagined.
    The other truly selfless act that stands out was when Jeff decided to take on the newly formed “FAA Union,” NATCA. It was new to us engineers at least, but it required a lot of hand-holding, people convincing, and fighting with management. But Jeff dove right in, even became President of the local chapter. Some of the most impressive accomplishments was his fighting for those that were treated unfairly, and pushing for some amazing space in the new FAA Regional Office. This was a huge endeavor where Jeff represented hundreds of employees along with management in getting a wonderful space and ensuring that all employees had a safe and comfortable work environment.
    Well, I think you get the picture on what kind of man Jeff was. He loved his family, along with the dogs he inherited, loved his friends, and ohhh how he loved food. He was definitely a foodie, and quite a cook to boot. We loved Jeff so much that we wanted to make him family, but my sister would have none of that, her loss of course. I honestly cannot say that we were able to spend enough time with Jeff. Although he was retired for quite some time, he always had some tinkering going on. Regardless, the time we had together was always so much fun and we will cherish the time with him forever. Selfish on my part, I had visions of he and I playing some amazing golf courses in California, or riding a moto along Route 1. Hopefully someday I will be able to do just that, with Jeff-the-angel tagging along for the ride. Farewell and Godspeed my good friend!

  2. I started working at FAA when I was 23. I met Jeff along with many other brilliant engineers. They all relied on me to take care of them at work, I was their secretary. Jeff was very kind to me and I regret losing contact with him when I left to pursue my career as a technician. I carry many memories of our time we all spent as family and I will always love him. It warmed my heart to hear he was able to spend time with his dad. I pray all who love him find peace

  3. Jeff was a very loyal friend always there for us, no questions asked. So often this was done with such a pleasant sense of humor that he became very endearing to me over the years – like a brother. You get to know someone after 26 years. Of my hubby’s friends, Jeff is one of my favorites. Always respectful and interested in me and my extended family etc. so it didn’t take long before he was “our” friend. I got to know him in a different way when we worked together on his Moms house this past few years. We really enjoyed the trials & tribulations of what he named, “As the Mortar Churns”. He will be remembered very fondly. There is no doubt that we have a dedicated heavenly Angel in Jeff. He lived a good life in that he was dutiful to friends and family. God Speed Jeff.

  4. Goodbye my dear friend Jeff Tyler, you will be dearly missed. I really valued our friendship. Thank you for being there after my auto accident and taking me to my doctor’s appointments when my appointments changed and I did not have anyone to take me because I could not drive. I enjoyed going to lunch with you whether it was for the monthly retirement lunches or Taco Tuesdays with our ex co-workers or just the two of us having lunch. I admired the dedication that you had for your doggies. Farewell my friend, until we meet again. May you rest in peace. Your friend Victoria (Vicki) Borrego

  5. Jeff W. Tyler, I will always remember you. As an entry level engineer at the FAA, not knowing anyone, I stumbled into you and found out we had something in common. Follow El Pasoan, UTEP grad, and you Father was my High School Chemistry teacher, for 10th and 12th grade. You helped me understand VOR Facilities, traveling in a POV and other necessary job duties. Your methods of note taking is how I learned to document my electronic equipment procedures, until I had the confidence for myself. I will miss you on the golf course, and at the office when it was lunch time, but especially as my friend. Godspeed Jeff.

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