The news of Lloyd Tyler’s death left the Vancouver community stunned and saddened Monday.
Tyler, the chief financial officer for the city of Vancouver, died unexpectedly Friday. He was 63. On Monday, he was remembered for his sunny disposition and ability to make even the most obtuse financial information make sense.
“His dedication and commitment to the city has been an integral part of our success,” City Manager Eric Holmes said in an email to city staff sent Monday. “Lloyd’s positive outlook on life and work was most admirable — he always had a smile for everyone and was highly regarded by everyone who ever had the opportunity to meet him. This is truly a great loss to the city organization and to our community as a whole.”
Tyler joined Vancouver government in 2005 after moving here from San Antonio, Texas. A University of Washington alumnus, Tyler earned a master’s degree in business administration from the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University.
He is survived by his wife, Jennifer Tyler, and two daughters, Lydia Soren and Afton Tyler.
Tyler worked on a variety of major city projects in his career here, including construction of the Hilton Vancouver Washington and efforts to redevelop the Fourth Plain corridor. One of his next challenges would have been redevelopment of the 12-acre Town Plaza shopping center, which the city purchased in June.
“This was a complete surprise and I can’t get his smiling face out of my mind,” said Councilor Jack Burkman. “Yes, he was very skilled technically and did an amazing job for Vancouver, especially throughout the Great Recession, but he was so much more. He was one of the most genuine, upbeat and joyful people I’ve ever met. He’s left a hole in my heart.”
As a new council member, Councilor Ty Stober said he relied on Tyler’s patience and help to understand the city budgets.
“I’m grateful for his stewardship of our resources and dedication to excellence,” Stober said.
Councilor Anne McEnerny-Ogle described Tyler as someone who could “steady the waters” when needed.
“I had full confidence in his financial understanding and appreciated his ability to explain the details,” McEnerny-Ogle said. “We could all understand his work. He was a genius and a great teacher.”
An interim chief financial officer has not yet been named.
In light of Tyler’s death, the city will need to find a successor. The chief financial officer reports to Holmes, who is out of town this week, according to Communications Manager Carol Bua. It will be up to Holmes to decide how the candidate search will be conducted.
