William "Bill" Eugene Tyler

William (Bill) E. Tyler of Shawnee, Kansas, died peacefully on his 91st birthday, May 28, 2023, surrounded by family. He was preceded in death by his wife Margaret (Margie), his parents Eldren Cecil and Laura May, sister Juanita Kellerman, three brothers-in-law Lawrence Kellerman, Daniel Conninghton and Francis Conninghton and son-in-law Doug Luka.

He made the most of his life with immeasurable grit and optimism. His interests were varied and whatever he pursued was with an intensity and luster that couldn’t dull his bright blue eyes.

Bill loved his country dearly, served in the Air Force for 8 years and remained a proud veteran. He worked as a crew chief on the B-36 Bomber (The Peacemaker). He was often seen wearing his Korean War Veteran hat.

Besides the memories of time with his family and friends a few cherished memories are:

His passion for traveling began with non-stop trips from Travis Air Force base to Kansas City while in the military. He has since enjoyed long-distance travel especially to Las Vegas and Colorado.

His first trip to Allen Fieldhouse to watch KU Basketball was when Wilt Chamberlain was a freshman and years later he was a guest of Bill Self to the Phog.

He opened a Skelly gas station at 57th and Nieman Road near Johnson Drive in the early 1960s. Some of his Skelly employees continue to be treasured friends to this day. In Bill’s free time in the evenings he worked on race cars that he raced on the weekends. He won a few races and had thrilling stories to tell.

As a supporter of the Chiefs from the beginning, he attended the first super bowl in 1967 in Pasadena, CA.

He had many successful bars and restaurants in the area including the Cedar Club, The Redmen Club, Apple Jacks, Cotton Eyed Joes, the Big Bopper, The Old Stanley Club, and The Trading Post.

Bill is survived by wife Shawn Tyler, his children Patrick Tyler, Shannon Luka, Linda Tyler (Tony), Toby Tyler (Michelle), Delores Wise, Billy Tyler (Lucy), Richard Calkins (Italia), Kathy Gilstrap (Don), Nick Tyler (Rachel) and Taryn Allen (Nick). Other survivors include his nieces Laura Cunningham (Steve), Vicki Russo (Jim) and Christi Norris (Phillip) and nephews Larry Kellerman, Landon Kellerman (Michelle) and Dennis Conninghton (Fatima), numerous grandchildren, great grandchildren and countless friends he made everywhere he went.

A Celebration of Life will be held at Amos Family Funeral Homes, 10901 Johnson Dr, Shawnee, KS 66203, on Sunday, June 4, 2023 from 1:00 pm to 3:00pm. Bill loved food. He was never known to turn down an invitation to dine especially if it was Mexican food or ice cream. Please join Bill’s family for tacos and margaritas at the Knights of Columbus, 11221 Johnson Dr, Shawnee, KS 66203, immediately following his Celebration of Life, 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm.

Private graveside service to occur at a later date.