Obituary of Clifford H. Tyler, Jr.

Clifford H. Tyler died peacefully at home while trimming the Christmas tree, December 24,2018, his 86th birthday.  He was born in Passaic, NJ in 1932 to Florence Barry and Clifford Tyler Sr.  He was delivered by the distinguished doctor and renowned poet, William Carlos Williams. Cliff graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1954 with a degree in Civil Engineering. He then joined the US Army and proudly served his country as a First Lieutenant patrolling the DMZ after the Korean War.  While there, he met and married USO volunteer Marion Slattery. They moved back to NJ, and raised three children while he worked at Turner Construction Company in New York City.  He was a project manager for two high-rises in Manhattan, and he also helped build the Pittsburgh Hilton. He served the NJ Builders Association as President. He then worked for his father’s company, the Pompton Lakes Building Supply Co.   After this, he raised a second family with three children. He became the proprietor of Construction Management Services and worked on projects as varied as the Mountain Creek Ski Area, medical centers in Princeton, and renovating high-end homes. Recently he surprised everyone and went back to school to pursue a life-long passion for poetry.  At the age of 82, he received his Master’s of Fine Arts degree in Poetry and Poetry in Translation from Drew University in 2014. He then became a devoted and compassionate teacher of Poetry to Veterans with PTSD at the East Orange, New Jersey Veterans Affairs Campus Substance Abuse Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program. Many Vets expressed heart felt gratitude to him for helping them identify their feelings and to read poetry for the first time in their lives. They wrote their own poetry and rap songs about how he saved their lives. Cliff was a kind person who radiated good will.  He was a special light to all who met him. Clifford is survived by his companion of 17 years who was with him when he passed, Marcie Shrewsbury Lopez, of Saddle River, NJ; his daughter Maureen Ann Tyler, of Columbus, NJ; son James Barry Tyler, MD, of Oro Medonte, Ontario, Canada; son Patrick Scott Tyler, of Warwick, NY; and daughter Brittany Helen Tyler, of Pauline, SC.  He also leaves behind eight grandchildren and three great grandchildren.  The family will receive friends on Friday, Jan. 4^th from 11:30 -12:00 followed by a Funeral Service at 12:00 PM at the Vander Plaat Funeral Home, www.vpfh.com, 257 Godwin Avenue, Wyckoff, NJ 07481.