John “Tim” Tyler died Feb. 1, 2020, age 97. John was born shortly before Christmas, and his father nicknamed him “Tim” after the character in Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.
During Tim’s early years, his father, Reverend Tyler, was a missionary to the Arapahoe Indians in Ethete, Wyo. Tim became an honorary member of the Arapahoe Tribe and was named “Blue Eagle.” After graduation from Salisbury School, he spent two years at Williams College before enlisting in the Army. Despite being trained as a pilot, he was selected for the 10th Mountain Division at Camp Hale. He became part of the WWII occupation forces in Japan.
He returned to Williams and married Dottie Franklin on July 12, 1946. Soon after his graduation in December 1947, they moved to Denver to enjoy Colorado’s outdoor lifestyle. Tim’s career was in real estate. Spending summers in Nantucket fostered a love of sailing. In Denver, he and his friends formed the Arid Yacht Club, of which he served as a Commodore. After his retirement, he sailed the coast of Maine from his boathouse on Louds Island.
His competitive attitude drove him, whether it was hockey at the DCC, tennis, golf or bridge. Although he was a nationally ranked squash player and a member of the Jesters Club, his primary love was skiing. An early investor in Vail, he skied 30-60 times a year well into his 92nd year.
He was past board president of Rocky Mountain Planned Parenthood and served on numerous non-profit boards, including the 10th Mountain Division Hut Association, Colorado Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame, and the Center for Hearing, Speech and Language.
He is survived by his four children, John, Bob (Sam), George (Marianne), and Peggy Fuller (Paul); eight grandchildren; numerous great-grandchildren; and his dear friend, Marcia.
