December 27, 1950 – March 15, 2025
Rory Paul Tyler was born on December 27, 1950, in Tichigan Lake, Wisconsin. He passed away peacefully on March 7, 2025, at his home in Castleton, Utah. Rory was the second of the four children of Charles and Gwendolyn Tyler and is survived by his younger brother, Matthew.
After moving all around the country following Charles’ work, the family settled in Union Grove, Wisconsin, when Rory was 7. He was a bright, inquisitive and sometimes outspoken student. After high school, he moved to Portland, Oregon, for 20 years, living and building an amazing and supportive circle of friends who will miss him dearly.
Both Rory and a friend were nearly struck by cars while riding bicycles on several occasions. Believing such a grievous hazard should not go unresolved, these “20-somethings” rode to the mayor’s office and burst in, demanding something be done. The mayor gave them 5 minutes to make their case; he then gave them a week to prepare and present Portland’s first-ever adopted Bike Plan. This “Be a Voice, Not an Echo” mentality permeated Rory’s beliefs and actions for the rest of his life.
Rory moved to Moab in 1993 and his “Be a Voice, Not an Echo” attitude saw another opportunity. As the newsreader at KZMU, he launched the public service program “This Week in Moab,” which is on air to this day. As a KZMU Board member, he helped determine the station’s direction.
During that time, he also heard the siren’s call of ancient rock art. Rory and his best friend, Jose Knighton, spent nearly two decades answering that call in the canyons, deserts and plateaus. Here is what rock art meant to Rory in his own words, from his unfinished book “Basket Case”:
“If I didn’t study ancient rock art I probably wouldn’t be happy. For me that’s been enough of a reason to do it. I knew of nothing else that has so much to offer, so I took the offer and studied rock art for thirty years from my home base in Moab, I am one, among many, from many times and places, that rock art has fascinated and engaged. By living in Moab, I had special opportunities that were unavailable to most other interested parties. Moab contains a mother-lode of Indian rock art which has barely been studies by “serious” academic archeologists, which means that I have had the honor and privilege to study the art with a pioneering mentality.”
Those words ring particularly true to his passionate rock art community of wonderful friends in Moab and beyond. During Rory’s 30-plus years in Moab, the breadth and depth of his friendships and associations with KZMU, sports, nightlife, music, poetry, rock art, and many more will be fondly remembered.
Please don’t send flowers. Keep Rory’s passionate and remarkable life’s work alive. View, read and share his pioneering rock art and ancient astronomy works on his website at moabrockart.org, and view his YouTube channel: Rory Tyler Poetry.
A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, April 26 from 4 to 10 p.m. at Old City Park in Moab.
