Tyler left a positive impact on other people’s lives. He raised the bar. He continues to leave a positive imprint after his death. Jon was in junior high when he wrote an essay titled, Saint Tyler.
Tyler is most remembered for how he loved others. He prayed and gave peace and stood up for others if they were being picked on. Tyler helped people as he worked with DARE giving advice and once even reported a bomb threat to his school. Tyler had a website (MySpace) that had Christian sayings on it, and he stayed out of trouble and tried to convince his friends to stay out of trouble too. Tyler was like Jesus in that he would say “our job is to love one another”. He offered unconditional love to those around him.
Tyler is a saint because he always gave his best and lived rightly. Tyler is remembered for his sense of humor. To Tyler, how others felt was so very important. He would put another before himself. Tyler prayed a lot to show his dedication to God. To help others, Tyler would listen to what another was saying, and seem to know what that person needed, or what was important to that person. He tried to be a peacemaker, and would intervene with a joke or a kind word. He would be kind to someone especially if they were younger than him, or sick or disabled in any way. Tyler is a saint because he was selfless.
When I think about Tyler, I remember that he was funny and very nice to me. He liked to talk to people a lot. He would always offer to share what he had with me, giving me first choice. Tyler’s impact on others will continue to spread. Those that remember him remember his kindness, and lover for others, when they talk about him they mention this more than his sports or school work. There is a scholarship in his name, and his loving energy will continue to show as his mom is working with a senator to pass a bill to protect children.
Jon S.
Jon S. wrote this essay about Tyler shortly after Tyler died. It was a homework assignment at his parochial school. I found it as I was reorganizing files for 2011. Jon S. has a speech impediment because of epilepsy.
Tyler also wrote an essay about Jon before he died. Jon did not know about Tyler’s essay. In Tyler’s essay, Tyler talks about how people judge others on looks or speech without getting to know them. He mentioned how great Jon is at science. He did not like how others prejudged Jon before they got to know him. He described Jon as intelligent, great fun to engage in jokes because of his amazing personality and repertoire, and fun to be with.
