SrA Tyler John Rutter
Called Ty Ty by his family and Rutter by his friends.
Tyler was born June 24, 1984 in the small town of Klamath Falls Oregon. Shortly after birth he moved with his parents Tabitha and Neal to Davis Monthan AFB in Tucson Arizona where he lived until 1989. After his parents divorced he relocated with his mother to Medford Oregon where he lived with his mother Tabitha and stepfather John Zuck (a Vietnam war veteran.)
He graduated in 2002 from North Medford high school. A year after the attacks of September 11, 2001 he and two of his closest friends each joined the service in hopes of being able to make a difference in our world. Tyler chose the Air Force, following in his father's foot steps.
He served in Operation Iraqi Freedom serving in Kuwait for almost a year. Once returning to the states he was stationed at Tinker AFB in Oklahoma. He was sent to New Orleans to assist after the tragedy of hurricane Katrina in 2005. In 2006, he moved back to his home town of Medford where he married his high school sweetheart. He rejoined the Air National Guard in Klamath Falls Oregon where his father was active duty and he soon also went back into active duty along side his father.
Tyler loved his family and was extremely close to his four younger brothers Ryan, Adam, Broc and Jason and his step sisters Necia and Carissa. He loved his nieces and nephews and was the guy who would do anything he could to help.
His passions were football and cooking. He was an unconditional fan of the Green Bay Packers. He loved to cook and had plans to go to Culinary school once his enlistment was complete. Tyler suffered from PTSD as well as stress fractures in both hips. He reached out for help but unfortunately the help never came. Tyler ended his life July 10th 2008 at the age of 24 and 5 days away from completing his enlistment.
His life meant so much to those who loved him, at his funeral it was standing room only in the chapel that held 500 people. Tyler's mom, Tabitha, said it best "I never realized how many lives my son touched and feel so blessed and honored to call him my son."
Since Tyler's death his mother Tabitha has become a suicide outreach member with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention in hopes of helping others who have lost loved ones.
