A celebration of life with catered BBQ will be held Sunday, September 4, 2022, 2:00pm to 5:00pm at Gettysburg Recreational Park (545 Long Lane Gettysburg PA 17325). Everyone is invited to attend this event. Come share a story about Tyler and enjoy some BBQ. It was a passion of Tyler’s, to cook, find new recipes, rubs, and sauces as he BBQ’d.
He became paralyzed at the age of 8. He was never defined by his disability. Tyler’s years at Edinboro University were an amazing experience for him as he explored his independence to true Tyler’s style. He had the opportunity to meet Michael Jordan in Chicago at his restaurant, made possible by Make A Wish. This was one of the highlights of Tyler’s life. He loved fishing and finding recipes to cook fresh fish. He got to go deep sea fishing last year on board “Fish Bone”, owned by Joe Ward. Captain William Chapman and crew were beyond amazing as they made it possible for Tyler to cast and reel in his own fish, 8 Mahi Mahi and tile fish. Pure Lure Fishing Gear sponsored this amazing day for Tyler. They all remained friends with Tyler and shared fishing stories. He loved his high school years at Biglerville High School thanks to the amazing teachers and staff, such as Karen Peterson and Rich Sterner, which remained dear friends to Tyler. Motocross remained a passion as Tyler enjoyed watching races and attending arena events. You can’t think of Tyler without saying Steelers, Football, and Big Ben. It was Tyler’s goal to be a football coach. He was able to coach for Francis Scott Key Junior Eagles for a season. He was an avid Baltimore Orioles fan, and enjoyed going to opening day with family hanging and hanging at Pickles Pub for pregame party with his friends.
Man’s best friend is a dog, Tyler had an amazing service dog for five years. This was life changing since it brought him out his shell, and he had man’s best friend at his side daily. Weeize, his service dog, went to school, church, restaurants, and vacations with him. We had some amazing nurses over the 25 years that Tyler was paralyzed. They were more than care givers, they were dear friends. Stacie, Liz, Donna, Nicole, Kimmie, Deanna, Adrian, Wale, and countless others. It takes a village to raise a child, was always my saying. His sister Cheyenne helped Tyler daily during his high-school years and She received an award by the state: Recognition for Outstanding Resilience.
Tyler was inspired to get into Karate after falling in love with the movie Karate Kid, and Jackie Chan. Tyler achieved black belt status in his early childhood years, an achievement he was so proud of.
Living in Central PA, hunting is through and through. Buckmasters assisted in helping Tyler be able to shoot his own rifle and hunting independently. Tyler shot a 10 point buck and attended many handicapped hunting trips.
Donations in memory of Tyler may be sent to https://buckmasters.com/resources/disabled-hunters or https://wish.org
Tyler was never limited by his disability and inspired everyone he met to keep a positive attitude. He will be missed by all who knew him.
This obituary was originally published here.