Tuesday, December 3, 2013

In Memoriam: Tyler Voltmer

Fred's Note:  I don't usually get personal on this blog, but recent events dictate that an exception be made.  My brother, Tyler, passed away unexpectedly on November 15.  Words seem inadequate to describe the shock and sense of loss that my family has gone through these passed couple of weeks.  Nonetheless, life does go on.  So here is a brief tribute to my dear brother.

TYLER JAMES VOLTMER 
(March 10, 1968 - November 15, 2013)

From my earliest recollections, I idolized Tyler. He was the epitome of coolness; great at sports, smooth with the ladies; in short, he could do no wrong, at least not in my eyes. I went to great lengths to find flaws in Tyler – as any younger brother would – but was rarely successful. More often than not, we managed to find trouble together. There was a time when getting sent to your room was a punishment worse than death, but when we were forced to endure such trying times, we’d be in our respective rooms huddled in our closets tapping out secret codes on the wall that separated us, just to let the other know we were okay.

My hero worship of Tyler only grew in high school. He was a senior, and I was a lowly freshman. It was at Prospect High that I first met Terry, Tyler’s future wife. Of course, I had no idea at the time; all I knew was that there was a junior, a girl no less, who would actually talk to me. I have countless recollections of our time in high school, but one that particularly stands out as indicative of the unique character Tyler possessed. He decided to join the cross-country team. The fact that participating in after school sports guaranteed you an A in P.E. probably had nothing to do with his decision. As you all know, Tyler was quite observant and quick to pick up on how to do things. Well, it didn’t take long for him to figure out that the coach doesn’t supervise your entire training run. Armed with such knowledge, Tyler applied some out of the box thinking by detouring back to our house for a quick snack, perhaps a few minutes of television, then returning at the appropriate time to finish his run. His brilliant plan was foiled at some point, and Tyler was presented with an ultimatum by the coach—Win the next race or receive an F in P.E. So what does he do, but go out and win the race. I would later realize that this wasn’t an anomaly, but just who Tyler was.

All too soon, high school was over, and Tyler began the next phase of his life. At 19 years old, opportunity came knocking, in the form of a job with American Airlines working cargo at San Francisco. Tyler learned the ins and outs of the job working with our good friend Lee Goodspeed. A couple years, later American decided to open a hub in San Jose and Tyler transferred there, where he discovered the glamorous world of baggage service. Interesting, that after that experience, Tyler would only check his bags if there was no other choice; probably just a coincidence. Throughout this entire time, Tyler and Terry dated and their relationship grew. It was pretty obvious to everyone that these two were destined for each other. However, like any good romance, trouble was on the horizon.

For some inexplicable reason, the concept of having a hub in San Jose, never really took hold, and as a result, American decided to scale back operations. Knowing what they had in Tyler, American pulled out all the stops make sure they kept him in the fold, including offering Tyler a posting in Newark, New Jersey. I know there are many of you who don’t hail from the Bay Area, so I will let you in on a little secret. It is the dream of every young boy and girl to grow up and one day move to Newark, New Jersey. Tyler got to live that dream, almost.

Terry did not make the move to New Jersey with Tyler. Practical girl that she was, and still is, Terry made clear to Tyler in no uncertain terms, “if you want this girl, you need to put a ring on her finger and marry her.” It took a bit of time, not to mention a move to Texas, but that’s exactly what Tyler did. He married is remarkable wife, Terry.

Dallas or more specifically, DFW is the center of the American Airlines universe. I got to visit Tyler in action on more than a couple of occasions, and was awed by what I saw. I didn’t understand most of what was going on, but I knew Tyler had everything under control. Yet again, I was looking up to the coolest guy I ever knew and could not have been prouder.

I got the chance to meet some of Tyler’s work friends—Ziggy, Patty and Jessy, to name just a few. Others, I’ve learned about more recently, and one thing is clear beyond doubt, that Tyler was loved by so many of you. It shows true affection to cover up Tyler’s entire car in plastic wrap to celebrate his birthday.

Years passed, and the opportunity for Tyler and Terry to move closer to home presented itself in the form of a management position at LAX. Besides, Newark, New Jersey, there is no place a Bay Area native would rather be than L.A. Needless to say, we were thrilled that Tyler and Terry were closer to home, but the transition was not easy. Tyler was not capable of giving less than 100 percent to everything that he did. His new job was pretty stressful, but as he always did, Tyler rose to the occasion and gave it his all.

Most recently, Tyler was getting ready to start the next chapter of his life at US Airways in Orange County, but that chapter will remain unfinished.

Every relationship is unique and special in its own way. My relationship with my brother was no different. As we grew into adulthood, we didn’t speak every day or even every week, but when we did talk over the phone or saw each other at a family event, it was almost as if no time had passed at all, and we were back in our rooms tapping out codes in our closets letting the other know we were there for each other. While Tyler won’t physically be here, I know that he will be inside each and every one of us giving us strength, comfort and love as we muddle our way through this crazy world.

3 comments:

GreatGrandPaws said...

�� Beautifully done

Brad Voltmer said...

Hi, I am Brad Voltmer. Your great grandfather, Frederick Christopher Voltmer is also my great grandfather. I am working on my genealogy. Would you be willing to share a few facts about your side of the family? Sorry about your brother Tyler.

Fred said...

@Brad Voltmer: A pleasure to make your acquaintance. Please send me an email (fvoltmer@hotmail.com) so we can start an exchange.