Peter Dickson Tyler, 80

Peter Dickson Tyler, 80, passed away at his home in Kalispell on Oct. 23, 2018.

Born in Holyoke, Massachusetts, Peter attended Northfield Mount Hermon preparatory school and Cornell University. At Cornell, he played lacrosse, was a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity, and drove an ambulance at night to support his own education. He earned his medical degree from Cornell University College of Medicine in New York City in 1964. Peter completed a residency in orthopedic surgery at the University of Florida and a fellowship in Oswestry, Wales, England. He went on to found the Center for Bone and Joint Disease in New Port Richey, Florida, where he practiced orthopedic surgery for 19 years. He also served as chief of staff at Community Hospital, New Port Richey. Peter was drawn to the open skies of the West and he chose to retire with his family at Lake Tahoe, Nevada, in 1989. Three years later, they settled in the Flathead Valley.

Peter was a captain in the United States Army, 82nd Airborne Division, and served as battalion surgeon and paratrooper during the U.S. occupation of the Dominican Republic in 1965.

He was a man of high intellect and talent, and he created a life for himself and his family that outsized his humble beginnings. Peter was an accomplished private pilot — earning multi-engine and seaplane ratings, a scuba diver, a marathon runner, a world traveler, a historian, and a voracious reader. As a volunteer for Meals on Wheels for many years, he enjoyed giving back to the senior community. Peter was a lover of nature and animals, and of the many dogs in his life; his late Jack Russell terrier, Henry, will be his loyal companion for eternity.

Peter was preceded in death by father George Tyler, mother Dorothy Smith Tyler, and beloved sister Georgina Tyler Gonzalez. He is survived by his wife of 35 years, Doreen “Dee,” sons Michael and Andrew, and daughter Ashlee.

A celebration of Peter’s life will be held at the family’s home on Sunday, Nov. 11, where we invite you to enjoy an Irish whiskey of your choice in his honor. Additionally, a brief military ceremony and interment of ashes will take place at Glacier Memorial Gardens at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 13.

Home Options Hospice cannot be thanked enough for their compassion and comfort. Johnson-Gloschat Funeral Home and Crematory is entrusted with arrangements.