Robert Michael Tyler, Jr.

Robert (Mike) Michael Tyler Jr. passed away on March 7, 2025, at the age of 71, just days before filling out what surely would have been the perfect March Madness bracket. His family is left to wonder what he would have done with the prize money offered for a perfect bracket, although there certainly would be some dispute due to Mike insisting on filling out his brackets printed on paper. Mike was not a man of lavish taste after all; however, he was still one of the wealthiest men in the world when measured by the abundance of love that surrounded him.

One thing is certain. Mike would have filled out several March Madness brackets with at least one crowning KU as the champion. The Jayhawks were one of Mike’s two true loves in life. When asked what he wanted for Christmas or his birthday, he would initially respond, “Let me think about it.” Once pressed further on the matter, he would give his definitive answer: “A pair of socks, preferably with Jayhawks on them.”

Born at St. Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City, MO on January 14, 1954, Mike was a great athlete as a kid. He played shortstop and pitched for the Bodine-Ashner Builders 3 & 2 Baseball team. He also swam for many years on the Leawood Country Club team. After graduating from Shawnee Mission East High School, class of 1972, Mike enrolled in the University of Kansas, graduating in 1977 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology.

If you do a little back-of-the-envelope math, you’ll notice it took him five years to finish. He wasn’t shy about that fact and always laughed, an innocent smile curling around his signature mustache, as he reminisced on all the spontaneous adventures, most likely involving live music, that distracted him from his studies. Mike stayed in Lawrence for a while to continue working at the Jayhawk Cafe. He made lifelong friends there, many of whom he reunited with in the summer of 2019 for the Hawk’s 100th birthday celebration.

After Lawrence, Mike went to work for the AB May Heating and Air Conditioning Company. In 1981 he joined his brother, Doug, in the title insurance business, working first for the Guarantee Abstract and Title Co. in Kansas City, KS. Then for its successor, First American Title, for over 40 years until Mike retired in 2022. In recent years, Mike’s “happy place” was a peaceful evening spent at home enjoying a box of Cheez-Its and a cup of dark roast coffee (which he drank whatever the time of day…or night), while reading a thought-provoking book on his Kindle.

Mike had a curiosity about the world, as demonstrated by the best advice he ever gave his sons: “Never be afraid of new experiences. If presented with the opportunity, you should try everything at least once. How else are you going to know if it is right for you or not?” Although a close second-best bit of advice he ever gave was to always keep some cash on you because you never know when you might need it.

Mike’s joy was contagious. Everyone in the room could feel it, even if you didn’t share his unique sense of humor. He led a life of compassion for others and always put his family first. That was his other true love in life: his family. Mike was present for every youth event while his sons were growing up. He loved playing games with his sons, whether it was watching a new game show, quizzing each other on sports trivia, playing a new card game, or a match on the chessboard that was always waiting patiently under the coffee table in the living room. Despite Mike’s kind and mellow personality, he had a competitive spirit. He never went easy on his sons but was undoubtedly proud when his kids finally started beating him.

Following Mike’s departure from this world, his soul was welcomed home by his mother, Ruth, and his father, Bob, and he was reunited with two of his sisters, Helen (1949–2001) and Terrie (1950–2022). Mike’s spirit will live on through his surviving family, including both his sons, Andrew (1996) and Brandon (2000); the mother of his sons, Tammy; his sister, Nancy; his brother, Doug; and many more nieces and nephews.

“When tomorrow starts without me,

Do not think we’re apart,

For every time you think of me,

Remember I’m right here in your heart.”