Owen Farrington Tyler, Sr.

Owen Farrington “Bud” Tyler, Sr.

Died peacefully December 26, 2021, at age 99, in Community Hospice – McGraw Center, Jacksonville, FL.

He was born, September 28, 1922, in Passaic, NJ, to Raymond Farrington “Ty” Tyler and Margaret (Owen) Tyler.

He is survived by his wife, Carolyn (Dow) Tyler, of Jacksonville, FL; his son, Owen F. Tyler, Jr. of Kalamazoo, MI; his stepson, Matthew (wife Samantha) Vann of Pendergrass, GA; his stepson, Sean Beene, of Jacksonville, FL, his six grandchildren; his six nieces and nephews; his eleven great nieces and nephews; and his fifteen great-great nieces and nephews.

He was predeceased by his parents; his wife of nearly 50 years, Mary (Moskopp) Tyler; an infant son; his daughter, Margaret Louise Tyler; his sister, Louise (Tyler) Rixey; and his brother-in-law, Palmer “Rix” Rixey.

Bud’s early childhood, along with his sister, “Sis” was blessed by the fun filled and fascinating life of “Navy Juniors.”  Their father’s career as a Naval Watch Officer aboard the non-rigid airship, USS Shenandoah; then Naval Aviator, Pilot & Instructor aboard the airship, USS Los Angeles at NAS Lakehurst, NJ, saw them living in Tom’s River, NJ.  Then, for two years, their father was re-assigned to sea duty aboard the USS Richmond, and they moved to the Panama Canal Zone, where Bud, at age 9, along with another Navy Junior friend, were allowed to ride aboard ship as it passed through the Panama Canal.  They moved briefly to Havana, Cuba; then to San Diego, where his mother, alone with two kids, had to relocate the family to Catalina Island, after an earthquake destroyed their elementary school. Then, in 1934 their father was re-assigned back to NAS Lakehurst, and they moved back to New Jersey where the rest would be “a part of history.”

In November 1936, Bud, along with his mother and Sis, watched his father, then a Lieutenant & Commander, take off from NAS Lakehurst to fly to Europe, aboard the German Airship Hindenberg, as an observer, who then participated in the Gordon Bennett Balloon Races in Warsaw, Poland.

In May 1937, Bud, a 14-year-old bicycle Western Union Telegram Messenger, was a witness to history.  Sitting atop a nearby hill to NAS Lakehurst, he was awaiting the landing of the luxury German Airship, Hindenberg, so he could deliver telegrams to its passengers.  Bud’s father, that day, was the NAS Lakehurst Mooring Officer, whose crew was assigned to land the great airship.  Suddenly and tragically fire erupted inside the airship, and within minutes, it plummeted toward the ground.  Bud’s father’s crew, along with volunteers, heroically saved many passengers, who literally leapt out and were helped to walk away from the inferno.  Many other passengers & crew members were not so fortunate. Years later, after many inquiries & conspiracy theories, it would be determined that a cable snapped in the rear of the airship, causing the spark that ignited the horrific air disaster.

Bud attended Tom’s River High School, then transferred to The Hill School in Pottstown PA, where he was graduated.  In June 1942, he arrived at Princeton University, where he roomed with two friends from The Hill School.  He recalls often seeing Professor Albert Einstein walking along Nassau Street dressed in sweatpants and sandals with no socks.  His initial exposure to Princeton was all too brief, as were the educations of thousands of Americans, who left college to join the military in WWII.  Bud attended the CCNY Army Specialized Training Program, then was assigned to the Army Air Corps as an airplane armorer.  He was honorably discharged in February 1946, returned to Princeton, majored in Political Science, with a minor in History (his favorite professor was Buzzer Hall), was a member of Cannon Club, and was graduated in June 1948.

After graduation, he joined American Houses, Inc., developing their business in the Eastern & Southern U.S.  He later marketed real estate for a large Atlanta building company.  His next career move was to the United States Gypsum Company where he spent the final 27 years of his career.  At USG he spent 7 years in Indianapolis and 3 years in South Bend, as Field Manager to the mobile home and RV industries.  He was District Manager of the Wood Fiber Division in New Jersey; and he retired as the Regional Sales Manager of the Kincaid Division of USG.  Bud always described himself as being fortunate in spending his business career doing things he really loved: sales, interaction with interesting people, travel, and the satisfaction of taking business away from competitors was “a constant high” for him.

Bud was active throughout his life in the Episcopal Church, serving on the Vestry of several parishes, and as Senior Warden of two.  He volunteered in many church ministries:  a prison ministry for re-entry into society jobs program; a volunteer driver for the blind; a Bible study for Community Living Ways special needs adults; assembling water purification units for Clean Water for the World; serving on various Western Michigan Cursillo teams; and even into his late 90’s volunteered to serve food at the Sulzbacher Center; bag lunches after outdoor mass at Church Without Walls; and deliver parish food donations to St. Mary’s Food Pantry.

Bud served as Treasurer of the Princeton Schools Committee, and on the Central New York Alumni Association as President.

In Bud’s younger days his leisure pleasures included golfing; sailing catamarans with his daughter Margaret on Gull Lake in Michigan; crewing aboard his friend’s sailboat on the Chesapeake Bay; canoeing; gardening; and traveling throughout the U.S. and internationally.  Throughout his life he was an avid reader of books on American History, especially the Civil War, and European History; and he amazed one and all with his commanding recall of historical events and personalities.

Bud was a steadfast caregiver for his first wife Mary, who was legally blind for the last eight years of her life; and was a loving guardian for his daughter Margaret, who suffered from mental illness from her early 20’s until her death at age 53.

Bud wrote in The Best Old Place of All: Princeton, Class of 1946, Fifty Years Later , “I have tried to make the most of each day, tried to always be a gentleman, and tried to lend a hand to those in need.”  Upon hearing of my beloved Bud’s death, the cards, letters, phone calls, texts, and social media posts all attest to the fact that he truly lived up to his aspirations.

Memorial Service:  Sunday, February 27 ^th at 1:00pm

San Jose Episcopal Church, 7423 San Jose Blvd. Jacksonville, FL 32227

In lieu of flowers, please make donations in his memory to:

St. Mary’s Food Pantry, 1924 N. Laurel Street, Jacksonville, FL 32206