Alonzo (Ray) Tyler

Ray was born June 5, 1921 in Brighton, Colorado to Cleo Jeannette Flint and Alonzo Ray Tyler

Sr. He joined four siblings: Clarence Eugene, Lorene Alice, Curtis Lansing, and Dorothy May.

He spent most of his childhood in Loveland, Colorado and graduated from Loveland High

School in June 1941, at age 20.

He attended Colorado State University for 1 year but left to enter military service on

December 11, 1942. He was trained in military telecommunications and served in the Pacific

Theater of World War II, including the campaigns of New Guinea, Southern Philippines, and

then was part of the U.S. Forces that occupied Japan. He separated from service on January

10, 1946. Prior to his entry into full time Army, he served in the Colorado National Guard for 3 and a half years 168th Artillery as an instrument corporal.

Ray also lived through the depression. One story he often told was how his brothers and him

would go up in the mountains to pan for gold and any gold found would support the family.

They would be up in those mountains for weeks on end panning all day and camping to end up

with a piece of gold about as big as their thumbnail and worth approximately $20.00.

When Ray left military service, he was employed by the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad in

communications and maintenance, first in Pueblo and then in Salida, CO. After a brief stint

with Sunstrand Aerospace, Ray joined Western Union Co. As a telecommunications specialist in

Denver, Colorado. He retired in a supervisory role from Western Union in 1984 after 27 years as an operations chief.

Ray married Marguerite Fontine in 1947 in Kansas. They raised two children together, Linda

and Keith. Both of whom survive him. He is also survived by three grandchildren, Patricia

and James Shawn O’Dell and Jennifer Rose Tyler. Also surviving is his son in law, John

Harrison and daughter in law Susan Tyler. He is also survived by his nephews, Lance and Jack

Tyler; Kent and James Barnes; and Robert and Michael Meakins and his niece, Lorene Runyon.

He is survived by his beloved dog, Lucky.

Ray was an avid camper. He loved to take his children and grandchildren camping, especially

into the mountains. He was a boy scout leader while his son was young and went on several

camping trips with the scouts.

Ray also loved hockey. He was a season ticket holder for the Denver Spurs. He was also

known to catch a Colorado Avalanche game. Ray loved to travel, he would often drive all over the United States in his volkswagon campers. Ray traveled to Yugoslavia with his second wife, Olivera Nedic. Both wives predeceased him.

Ray loved to tinker and invent especially with electronics. He would often have all these new

inventions/gadgets around his house, especially in the basement on 16th Street. He once

invented a mailbox that would swing out of the way if hit by the snowplow and swing back in

place for his daughter’s home in Michigan. Prior to that he invented a remote controlled

lawnmower with a very long electric cord, and also would help repair electrical wiring for

numerous friends and family.

Ray loved his family. He was “Uncle Ray” to all his sibling’s children and their children. He

would spend many holidays and family celebrations with them, especially after his own

children moved out of Colorado.

Ray loved animals. He had a mutt named Bandit that would live approximately 20 years. He

traveled all over the United States with Bandit He had several other dogs, including Lucky.

Ray moved in with his daughter and son in law in 2006 in Michigan. In November 2014, he

moved to Oklahoma to be closer to his son and resided there until passing from this life in his

sleep on January 4, 2015.