Lester William Tuttle Jr.

Lester William Tuttle, Jr, age 91, passed away in Temple Terrace, FL on January 15, 2026. Les was born in San Diego, CA, on August 18, 1934, to Lester W. Tuttle, Sr. and Blanche (née Austin) Tuttle. His dad was in the Navy, so the family lived in a number of places while he was growing up, including Hawaii, Panama, Connecticut and New Hampshire. After retiring from the Navy, his dad was hired to oversee the installation of submarine engines. The family then lived in Wisconsin, Maine, NH, Jacksonville FL and in 1947, they moved to Seminole Heights in Tampa FL.

Les graduated from Hillsborough HS in Tampa in 1952. He received his BS (1955), MA (1956) and EdD (1962) in History and Philosophy of Education from the University of Florida. Following ROTC, Les was a captain in the USAF from 1957-1959, serving as a navigator in the 44th Bomb Wing of the Strategic Air Command. While working on his degrees at UF, he taught for a year at Sarasota JHS. Beginning in 1962, Les taught for two years in the College of Education at the University of Alabama. During that time he had NFL QB-to-be, Joe Namath, in one of his classes!

In 1964 Les became a faculty member of the College of Education at the University of South Florida in Tampa during its nascent years when John Allen was the president. From 1966-1968 Les continued to teach and also served as the Director of the Division of Foundations of Education at USF. In 1968 Les was named a Dean at USF. Because of his youthful looks, he was quickly dubbed “the boy dean.” In 1968, he became the founding Dean of the USF St. Petersburg branch campus. In 1974 he was named USF’s Dean and Administrator of Regional Campus Affairs (St. Petersburg, Sarasota and Fort Myers). In 1975 he was in charge of absorbing New College in Sarasota into the USF system. In 1979, after serving as an administrator under six presidents, Les returned to teaching in USF’s Educational Foundations department. In 1981 he was asked to join the Educational Leadership department to teach School Law and School Finance. In 2000 Les retired after 36 years of service at USF. After retiring, he served on the board for the USF St. Pete Retired Faculty & Staff Assoc. To honor Les, USF St. Pete created the Lester Tuttle Award to be given to a USF regional campus graduate who had made new and innovative contributions to his/her profession, community or field of study. USF St. Pete celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2015 and at USF night at the Tampa Bay Rays stadium, Les threw out a ceremonial first pitch before the game.

Les and wife Barb adopted Charli, a standard poodle and then Gabriel, a toy poodle. After those dogs went to the Rainbow Bridge, they adopted Maggie, a Havanese. All of them provided a constant uplifting spirit in the household.

Les was preceded in death by his parents; his sisters, Marjorie Tuttle, and Dorothy Tuttle Marrer; his former wife and mother of their children, MaryLou (née Winningham) Tuttle; and his nephew. He is survived by his wife of 41 years, Barbara Kovats Tuttle; his daughters, Lydia Tuttle in Brandon, FL and Ellen Tuttle in Tampa, FL; grandson (Lydia’s son), William Chestnut; great-granddaughter, Malaya Chestnut; and two nieces. He is also survived by many former coworkers and friends.

The family will receive friends at noon on February 14, 2026, at Blount & Curry Terrace Oaks FH, 12690 N 56th St, Temple Terrace. A Celebration of Life will follow at 1 PM at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the USF St. Pete RFSA Endowed Scholarship fund are suggested - contact Howard Rutherford, Associate Vice President of Advancement at 727-515-7033 or [email protected]. Or a donation to your local dog shelter would be appreciated.