Gordon "Burt" Tyler

Gordon Burt Tyler, born in Tulsa June 26, 1935, died August 4, 2010. He was the greatly loved, only child of Osceola Gordon Tyler and Mary Patrick Tyler. He attended Central High School, was a graduate of Oklahoma Military Academy and Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Va. where he received his B.A.degree in Economics in 1957. He was a member of Scabbard and Blade military fraternity and served as commander of the Washington and Lee Drill team. He served as President, secretary and rush chairman of his social fraternity, Kappa Sigma. He was President of Officers Basic Class of 1958 at Fort Sill in the Artillery Branch of the Army. In the 1950’s Burt joined his father at The Gordon Tyler Company, an insurance agency, founded by his father in 1931. The company was in business, in Tulsa, for over 70 years. In recent years it merged into Thomason Tyler and Lynch Insurance Agency. Burt truly cared about his clients and often went to great lengths to help them. A great people person, full of fun, with a dry sense of humor, Burt was a loyal and very active member of the Downtown Kiwanis Club for 46 years. He served as secretary, treasurer and on the Board of Directors. He is a Legion of Honor member and a recipient of a Kiwanis International George F. Hixson Fellowship. To this day, he holds a Kiwanis record by bringing in 75 new members as Membership Chairman in 1993. For an additional 6 months he brought in 37 members for the 2nd highest number in one year. He served as Treasurer twice. In his second tenure he brought outstanding accounts down to zero. He was the outstanding Kiwanian of the year 2 or 3 times. He served on the Board of the Miss Oklahoma Pageant for many years. As Vice President of the Miss Oklahoma Scholarship Pageant, he was in charge of Scholarships from 1974 to 1989. During this time, he raised Oklahoma from 50th place to 1st place nationally for scholarships awarded. He also procured all meals for the contestants from 1973 to 2001. Burt was a member of the Tulsa Hurricane Club, and was a long-time season ticket holder for The University of Tulsa Basketball Games. He was a member of Boston Avenue United Methodist Church and the Roundtable Sunday School Class. He met his future wife, Sybil Beard Tyler, at a wedding in Charlotte, N.C. in 1960. They married Friday, April 13, 1962. Burt was a loving and caring husband, father and grandfather. Adored by all who knew him, he was gracious, understanding, a practical joker who never met a stranger. Burt had a great sense of adventure and was always open to something new. This was evident in his love of travel and exploration. He and his family were fortunate to be able to travel many places and meet new people along the way. He will be greatly missed by his many friends and family. Survivors include his wife, two daughters, Laura Michele Wilson and her husband, William Jamie Wilson of Collierville, TN and Julie Christine Forbes and her husband Ian Forbes of Kissimmee, FL, and his grandchildren, William Tyler Wilson and Ashley Elizabeth Wilson of Collierville, TN. Friends may honor Burt’s memory by donating to either The Downtown Kiwanis Club or Boston Avenue United Methodist Church Missions.

Gordon "Burt" Tyler

June 27, 1935 - August 4, 2010