Richard Douglas Tyner
Richard Douglas Tyner, age 65, of Baxter, Minnesota passed away from cancer on Sunday, February 23, 2020 at Methodist Hospital in Rochester, Minnesota surrounded by his family.
He was born on March 25th 1954 in Almont, Michigan as the first child of Dorothy and Clifford Tyner.
Richard was raised on Neebish Island in the upper peninsula of Michigan where as a child Richard fell in love with the outdoors, particularly the water. He graduated from Sault Ste. Marie High School in 1972, and married his college sweetheart, Linda. He loved to learn and had many interests, resulting in five post-graduate degrees, including a master’s degree in Engineering and Management, and teaching at the University of St. Thomas.
He worked as plant manager at OTC, Owatonna, and took pride in motivating people around him. He moved to Brainerd in 1994 and eventually became owner of L&M Steel. He was active in his community and passionate about civic responsibility. He invested in others’ lives, desiring everyone, including himself, to be the best version of who they could be.
He was generous to a fault and fiercely protective. He kept the USPS in business sending his children affirming letters and cards, and called his mother every day. He was preceded in death by his father and sister, Gayle, who he missed every day. He is survived by his mother, brother Russell (Lori), Linda, who was his wife of 44 years, caregiver, companion, and strongest advocate, 4 children; Lyric Hassler (Jeff), Harmony Tyner (Seth Stemmer), Nathaniel, and Justin (Audrey), and 6 granddaughters; Aurelia, Eliana, Renata, Annora, Chloe, and Allison. He loved them all, and they him.
Things that made him happy included spending time with family; hunting, fishing, making maple syrup, and working on the ferry. He delighted in sharing elaborate stories and “swinging a chainsaw”, especially if it was to do a project that would help others. His greatest joy was being a husband, father, and grandfather. His faith in Jesus was his foundation for everything and his hope for the future.
A celebration of his life will take place at Lakewood Evangelical Free Church in Baxter, MN on Saturday, February 29th. Visitation will be from 9-11am and the funeral will take place at 11 with lunch to follow. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be left to Gift of Life Transplant House at gift-of-life.org/make-a-donation or to Lakewood Evangelical Free Church, Baxter, MN.