Jean Brooner Tyler, 89

Jean Brooner Tyler, 89, passed away Sunday morning, Dec. 11, 2016, in Salt Lake City. 

Jean was born Jan. 26, 1927, to Ernest D. and Mabel (Jewell) Brooner. She was raised in Kalispell where she was involved in many different school and church activities, including an a cappella trio called upon regularly to entertain community groups. 

She graduated with honors from Flathead County High School in 1945, the year World War II ended.

Fiercely independent, she pursued many paths that few single women chose at the time. Jean attended the University of Montana and Brigham Young University. Jean received an associate’s degree from the New York School of Interior Design. As a young adult she relocated to Utah, where she worked for Zion’s Cooperative Mercantile Institution (ZCMI) and Holiday House before establishing her own interior design and drapery business. Jean ran for the Utah State Legislature, served as director of a fashion and merchandising school, and worked in television and radio advertisements. She also worked for many years at Little America in Salt Lake City. Later in life, she returned to the University of Utah and earned a Bachelor of Science in Sociology degree.

Jean is survived by her son, Paul D. Tyler, of New York, his wife Linda, their two daughters, Katie and Julia; and sister-in-law, Carlene Brooner, of Kalispell. 

Jean was a loving, devoted daughter, mother and grandmother. Her many nieces and nephews scattered across the country remember her as “a real lady,” always gentle and kind, and were inspired by her independence, grace and beauty. 

Jean was preceded in death by her parents, sister Jewell (Brooner) Shannon, and brother Ernest G. Brooner.