Obituary of Tyson Radley

 

 

In loving memory of James Tyson Radley (10/7/1943 - 4/13/2020)

Ty, the youngest of five children, was born in Preston, Idaho, to Keith and Florence Radley. The family moved to Spokane, Washington, where they bought some beautiful property and enjoyed small farming. The special relationship with his parents and siblings attributed to the confidence and beautiful way he interacted with others. He was blessed with intelligence, spiritual and loving insight, and quite a sense of humor, always making others laugh.

The farm brought many adventures for the family and especially for Ty. "Bessie," the cow who loved Ty and the crab apples would go up the driveway to the mailbox and wait for Ty's sister, Roz, who was scared to death of her. Ty was the chosen one to rescue his eldest sister, which he loved. His other sister, Pat, was not exempt from Ty's antics. He would sit under the dining room table and throw oranges and fruit at his sister's dates.

He was a born salesman and started his first store on the farm. He would go in the pantry and gather cans of food, take them outside and make a store out of some wood. His Grandma Christensen came out with her purse and bought some cans of food at 10 cents each. She would go into the house and tell Ty's mother about the store in the yard with the nicest young man running it. Ty's mother would gather up the money, give it back to Grandma, and return the cans to the pantry.

Ty graduated from Cheney High School and spent two years at BYU. He then served a two-year mission in England for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. His mission presented some extraordinary experiences, and with his natural ability engaging with people, offering a positive experience for all. He learned how to make the best Trifle and shared many great stories. Ty couldn't help himself with his sense of humor during his mission when he made the British papers as the “Mormon Monster” when he decided to put on a gorilla mask from the floor of the car and got out, scaring many on the streets. He and his companions landed in front of the Magistrate charged in court with “using conduct likely to cause a breach of the peace”.

After serving his mission, he returned to start what would be his primary career in sales, working at a shoe store. Moving on to Montgomery Wards and then Meier & Frank, he worked his way up into management. His sense of humor and his kind personality earned him much respect and success. He continued his work in retail, working for Grantree Furniture, and ended up traveling a lot as the Regional Manager and even moving back to the farm for a year with his own family and his mother. His career in retail sales and management took him and his family on quite a journey. Life presented many challenges, but Ty would use his skills and personality to work through and move forward.

He and his wife, Julie, proved to be soulmates when they were brought together, each having two children. They used laughter and love through all the challenges and adventures in their 43 years of marriage. One was owning the American Country Store in Woodburn, Oregon. They worked very hard together with Ty refinishing furniture and cutting wood projects for Julie to paint, sell, and teach classes. They enjoyed their many pets throughout the years, including their beloved Bassett Hounds. He had such a passion and talent for woodworking, gardening, and sales, which took them many different places, including Roseburg, Eugene, Portland, Spokane, Grants Pass, and ending in Hillsboro. He also used his love for gardening into a satisfying landscape business for a few years while also selling Manufactured Homes.

His four children and 12 grandchildren loved him for his quick wit, sense of humor, wisdom, work ethic, kindness, love of animals, and his genuine personality. He amazed everyone at his ability to talk backwards like a second language. He used this talent to torment his teachers but entertained his family, friends, and others. His childhood report cards reflected his born character, all noting his funny tendencies, outgoing social demeanor, and including excellent speaking skills. He remarkably could still talk backwards up to a month before his passing, astounding and entertaining the medical professionals and caregivers who cared for him. He admired classic cars, having fun with his Thunderbird, '59 Pink Cadillac, Chevy truck, Firebird, and even owning a motorcycle. He was considered an extremely knowledgeable man who loved jeopardy, scrabble, and trivia, always making sure he had a diet coke in hand. He enjoyed watching sports and was a dedicated Oregon Duck fan.

His family and faith being the foundation of his life, gave him the strength to overcome alcoholism, staying sober for over 35 years. In 2016 he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's but still kept his sense of humor and amusing talents. His battle with Alzheimer's didn’t stop him from remembering the farm, his faith, and enjoying his family. He was blessed to meet his two great-grandchildren before his memory left him. The family is so grateful for the smiles, compassion, care, and laughter his caregivers surrounded him with during the last couple months of his life.

As he would always say through life, and we are sure is encouraging us from above to "Endure to the end."

Rest in Peace, Nosyt Yeldar!

 

He is survived by his wife Julie (Hillsboro, Oregon) and his beloved dog Digger, his children Tyson Radley Jr., Robert (Christi) Radley, Sam (Judy) Stegemiller, Shelley (Tim) Kubik.  His grandchildren Kourtney (Chris) Peterson, Casey (Traci) Kubik, Brittany (Josh) Sanders, Madison Stegemiller, Elias Stegemiller, Kyle Radley, Kelsea Radley, Rhys Radley, Ryan Choquette, Christopher Radley, Katie Radley, Lily Radley. His Great Grandchildren Tucker Peterson and Lily Sanders. His sisters Rosalind Draper and Pat (Floyd) Bursch.

He was preceded in death by his parents Keith and Florence Radley and his siblings Keith Radley Jr. and Norman Radley and brother-in-law Tom Draper.

In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate supporting the Alzheimers Association at https://www.alz.org/.

There will be a Celebration of Life at a future date. Please visit Ty’s online memorial and guestbook and share any thoughts or memories. www.wilhelmportlandmemorial.com or https://crowncremationburial.com/

Ty will be laid to rest privately on April 24 at Wilhelm’s Portland Memorial Funeral Home.

Arrangements by Crown Memorial Centers