[ad_1]
WINDSOR – John Cotton Pierce Tyler (aka Toby, Pops and Bow-Tie Man) of Windsor, North Carolina passed away on Tuesday, October 5, 2021 when his heart finally gave out.
A native of Roxobel, North Carolina, John was born August 7, 1945, the middle child and the only son of John Edward (Jack) Tyler II and Margaret Long Tyler. Those who knew Jack and Margaret are not surprised that their son is a truly unique individual, in the best possible way.
John attended Bertie County schools until grade 9, when he left for Christ School in Arden, North Carolina, where he graduated in 1963. He enrolled at the University of North Carolina to Chapel Hill, and soon after, his upbringing became somewhat diverted or as he called it, “well traveled”. After a stint in the US Army in Germany, he returned to Chowan University and later graduated in 1972 from Campbell University in Buies Creek, NC.
There was never any doubt that Bertie County was home, and John returned to serve as a magistrate while helping with the family farm and the antique trade. On August 17, 1974, he married Marjorie McDonald (Marti) Neblett of Knoxville, TN and brought her back to Roxobel, where his son Rutland was born in 1977 and his daughter Marjorie in 1980.
He was appointed clerk of the Superior Court by Superior Court Judge Richard Allsbrook in 1984 and elected for a full term the following year. He had opponents against him twice, but after that he ran unopposed until his retirement 29 years later. Known as the “Bow-Tie Man” at the courthouse, John was the go-to person for anyone with questions, but generally when he retired he credited everyone he worked with. and the people of Bertie County for its success.
John’s service to Bertie County went far beyond his profession. He was municipal commissioner of Roxobel and a member of the sacristies of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Roxobel and St. Thomas’s Episcopal Church in Windsor, where he was twice Principal Director. In addition, he has served on the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Bertie County YMCA and the Historic Hope Foundation. He also served on the Bertie Rural Health Board for many years. In 2014, the governor presented John with the state’s highest honor, the Order of the Longleaf Pine.
Appreciating others was fundamental to who he was, but only one aspect of the man who embodied all the positive traits of the classic Southern gentleman: charming, respectful, honest, generous, caring and entertaining. He always gave everyone a warm welcome and you always felt better after John’s visit.
A lifelong Tar Heel and true fan, friends would often get a call after a game for a debriefing. However, everyone knew (or learned quickly) not to check in with John during a match – it could negatively affect the results. His pride that Rutland and Marjorie graduated from Carolina was only surpassed by his pride in the kind of people they grew up.
Family was everything to Toby. Nothing meant more to him than spending time with his children and grandchildren, and he took particular pleasure in watching them play or compete in a sport. A portrait of his beloved grandfather Ernest Rudolph Tyler hung in his courthouse office, and he often regaled others with memorable stories from his parents and extended family – as well as a plentiful supply of self-deprecating stories from his youth. As a result, countless numbers of friends see themselves as family.
Thanks to modern medicine, a tireless mind, and a loving wife who knew CPR, John survived three major cardiac procedures and two cardiac arrests after his first heart attack, which allowed him to live another 22 years. We’re all better for the time we spent with him.
In addition to his parents, John was predeceased by his sister Ridley Tyler Smith.
He is survived by his wife, Marjorie Neblett (Marti) Tyler; his son Ernest Rutland Tyler, his wife Elise Kapp Tyler and their children John Cole Padgett Tyler, Pierce Jackson Tyler and Lillian Marjorie (Lilli) Tyler of Hillsborough, North Carolina; daughter, Marjorie Tyler Bridges, her husband Benjamin Garner (Ben) Bridges and daughters Garner Long Bridges and Margaret Wallace Bridges of Lake Wiley, SC; sister, Gregory Tyler and husband William (Billy) Peacock of Raleigh; eight nieces and nephews; many cousins; and hundreds of best friends.
A generous and loving soul, John Cotten Pierce Tyler had a love of life and a genuine understanding of what mattered. He gave meaning to the words son, husband, father, grandfather and friend.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Marks Episcopal Church, Roxobel; St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Windsor; Historic Hope Foundation, Windsor or a charity of its choice.
A memorial will be held Thursday, October 14, 2021 at 4 p.m. on the grounds of St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Windsor, North Carolina immediately followed by a reception.
Arrangements by Walker Funeral Homes, Windsor, North Carolina. (252-794-4578)
[ad_2]
Source link