Jean Marie Tuttle

Jean Marie Tuttle was born in Enid, Oklahoma, on October 17, 1928, to Eugene Bernard Allen and Anna Marina Sherwood Allen. She grew up during the Great Depression and World War II with her younger sister, Shirley Ann Allen, in a close-knit family that moved often with their father’s work as a machinist for the Frisco Railroad. Jean graduated from Enid High School in 1945 and attended Sacred Heart Nursing School in Wichita, Kansas, training for a year before returning to Enid for hospital rotations. She later lived and worked in Denver before returning home, where she met Air Force pilot Rob Newsom Tuttle.

Rob and Jean were married on New Year’s Day in 1952 in Enid, beginning a 64-year marriage filled with love, laughter, and adventure. That same year they moved to Tucson, Arizona, where Rob was stationed at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base. They loved the desert and spent weekends camping under the Arizona stars with their dear friends George and Faye Carruthers, who became lifelong companions. In 1960 they moved to Plattsburgh, New York, for a short posting near the Canadian border, and in 1962 to Fort Worth, Texas, where Rob flew B-58 Hustlers out of Carswell AFB. There they took flying trips and citrus-picking excursions and became active in the Air Force community. In 1966 they moved to Little Rock, Arkansas, where in 1967 they joyfully welcomed their son, George “Tyson” Tuttle, who became the center of their lives.

In 1969, after Rob retired from active duty, the family settled in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he joined McDonnell Douglas as a test pilot for defensive systems and continued flying until his retirement in 1991. Jean built a wonderful life in Tulsa, raising her family and becoming active in the community. She volunteered for many years as a docent at the Tulsa Zoo, where she helped educate children and even raised a prairie dog named Freddie for classroom visits. She loved animals and cared for a lively succession of pets, most famously her cocker spaniels Mickey and Brett, two huskies both named Bear, and a variety of birds and neighborhood strays.

In 2009 Rob and Jean moved from Tulsa to Austin, Texas, to be near family. Her sister Shirley joined them in 2012, and together they spent their later years enjoying family, friends, and travels to places like the United Kingdom, China, and Alaska. After Rob’s passing in 2016, Jean continued to live in Austin, cherishing Sunday dinners, holidays, and time with her grandchildren and great-grandson. Wherever they lived, Rob and Jean made lifelong friends who remained close throughout their lives, and she cherished those connections in her later years.

Jean was preceded in death by her husband, Major Rob Newsom Tuttle; her parents, Eugene and Anna Allen; and her sister, Shirley Ann Allen. She is survived by her son, Tyson Tuttle, and daughter-in-law, Nicole Caspers Tuttle, of Austin; grandchildren Caroline Tuttle Craigmyle and husband, Nick Craigmyle, Scout Tuttle, and Charlotte Ann Leilani Tuttle; and great-grandson Bennett Allen Craigmyle.

Rob always called her Jeanie, a name that fit her completely: strong, warm, curious, and full of life. She loved meeting people and hearing their stories, facing every stage of life with humor, grace, and a style all her own. She never liked to sit still, whether for dinner, shopping, a drive, or a trip, and often reminded her family, “Honey, I can’t go to the doctor, I’ve got a hair appointment.” She passed away peacefully in Austin, Texas, on October 26, 2025, surrounded by love at the age of 97.