Miriam Ruth Tyler

Mimi Tyler passed away on April 24th, 2023 in Atco, NJ due to complications with Alzheimer’s. In her final days, she was at peace and surrounded by family and friends.

Mimi was born in Upper Darby, PA on May 26th 1949, the only child of Tom and Emma Bannar. Ever since, she graced the world with her joyous smile, boundless imagination, and eternal sense of wonder. She grew up in Landsdowne, PA and spent summers in her beloved Surf City on Long Beach Island. Graduating from Brandywine College in 1969, she went on to work at the University of Pennsylvania for 40 years, where she oversaw massive campus renovations and building projects. Anyone who worked with her knows that she always led with love, as well as a fresh-baked tray of brownies.

Mimi’s true joy was family. She met the love of her life when Les Tyler walked up to her at the jukebox of Joe Pop’s Bar in 1970. They were immediately inseparable and married soon after. They lived in Philadelphia, where they entertained house guests, celebrated their love, and built a future for themselves. They moved to Atco, NJ after the birth of their son, Neal, in 1982. Mimi lived to be a Mom, pouring all her love and caring creativity into the role. Always close, the Tyler family delighted in traveling together: To Provincetown, The Florida Keys, Hawaii, Rickett’s Glen State Park, New Orleans, and more. Holidays were always special in the house, with Mimi playing “the hostess with the mostess”: Decorating lavishly, cooking feasts, and baking countless tins of “tasty goodies.” Summers on LBI remained a family tradition, bonding through time at the beach, yard sales, and block parties. When Neal met his future wife, Erica, Mimi immediately accepted her into the family, dubbing her “the daughter she never had but always wanted.” For the last 15 years, Mimi and Les would often spend Christmases in California with Neal and Erica, where they’d all embark on trips along the coast: To Carmel, La Jolla, Santa Barbara, Point Reyes, and more.

Fitting a life as rich and full as Mimi’s into a few paragraphs is like trying to pour the ocean into a bottle. She won awards for her beautiful gardens and created intricate stained-glass artwork. She made friends wherever she went. She listened and she loved, always with her whole heart. She worked hard, and partied, and played her rock and roll loud (especially Soundgarden). She loved the works of Whitman, Salinger, Austen, and Tolkien. Her religion was kindness, and her art was finding the best in everyone she met. There is a great void left in her wake, felt by everyone lucky enough to have known her.

To honor Mimi, take some time to hug a loved one, befriend a stranger, plant a flower, treat yourself to something sweet, or just sit and watch the birds for a while. There is beauty in the simple things and wonder in every day. Above all else, Mimi would ask that you be kind, to yourself as much as to those around you.

Mimi is survived by her devoted husband, Les Tyler, their son Neal Tyler, and their daughter-in-law Erica Tyler.

Services will be held at 1:00pm on May 7th, 2023 at Atco Presbyterian Church. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Alzheimer’s Association or St Jude Children’s Hospital.