Gloria J Tyler

Gloria Jean Tyler (Jean) was born January 21, 1952 to Frank Albert and Lillie Mae Tyler at The University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, KS. She departed this life unexpectedly on January 19, 2022 just 2 days before her 70th birthday.

Jean graduated from Southeast High School in 1970. Following graduation, she worked for various businesses and received training as a both a skilled seamstress and a bank teller.  However, she was eventually hired by the Kansas City Missouri School District as a bus driver, which led to a life-long professional driving career. While working as a school bus driver she enjoyed her co-workers and the children on her bus routes, to whom she was affectionately known as Miss Gloria the bus driver. She worked as a school bus driver for the Kansas City Public School District (KCPS) driving for numerous schools throughout KCPS for over 25 years and was then promoted to the road observer position in charge of supervising and trouble-shooting bus routes for the entire District. After this position, Gloria obtained what she called “her ideal job” when she started working for the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) as a city bus driver. She was one of the first Black women to pass the 18-wheeler certification as well as one of the first Black women to drive for KCATA. She worked there for over 10 years and richly enjoyed meeting people at work. She looked sharp in the KCATA uniform which included a belt with her name on it and a captain style hat. She was an expert driver and driver trainer over the course of her career, in which she also worked for Sears driving school.

Jean grew up in the Good Samaritan Baptist Church. Gloria was also a member of Palestine Missionary Baptist Church, Concord Fortress of Hope, and Open Door Ministries. It was at Good Samaritan, where her mother was the church pianist, that Jean led the song “Going Up Yonder.” She absolutely loved that song and this began her life-long love of singing. She was also a member of the family group “The Harmonettes” in which she also sang solos. Jean lent her phenomenal vocal talent to the gospel singing group The Voices of Exodus and also had a singing group called “Pastel” with 2 of her friends Nancy Griddine and Arvetta Gumby. These ladies performed semi-professionally around the Kansas City area. Jean had a deep appreciation for acapella harmony and singing groups. She particularly loved Boyz II Men, Take 6, and Pentatonix which she would often play on repeat.

Jean was the jokester of the family and the life of the party everywhere she went. She kept everyone laughing. One of her favorite sayings was when someone asked how she was feeling she would reply, “with my fingers.” One of the social workers at her nursing home described her as “a ray of sunshine” just the day before she died.

Jean was also an outstanding seamstress and was able to create garments by merely looking at pictures of the instructions. She never needed to read the instructions and the garment came out looking exactly like the picture on the package. She also created custom designs which were worn on various special occasions by family members and friends. In fact, one of her original designs is featured here today.

On June 1, 1974, she had her only child, Margurite Je’nee Ford (known to the family as Rei). She loved her baby girl and did all she could for her. Jean wanted only the best for her baby. At one time a friend of the family gave Jean a lot of clothes for Rei and Jean dressed Rei several times a day in different outfits. She was the best dressed little girl on the block. They went everywhere together; Jean would often say to Rei, “if you can’t go, I can’t go.” Jean wanted only the best for Rei and made many sacrifices and worked multiple jobs to always ensure that Rei wanted for nothing, despite the fact that she was a single Mother.

Jean is preceded in death by her parents, Frank and Lillie Mae Tyler, maternal grandparents, Aaron and Trevia Shelton, paternal grandparents, Frank and Maurine Tyler, and oldest brother Frank Tyler, II. She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Margurite and Reggie Isaac of Olathe, KS, brother Patrick Tyler, Sr. (Debbie) of Kansas City, MO, sisters Quoita Tyler, Patricia Tyler, and Yolanda Branch of Kansas City, MO. She also leaves behind five grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and a host of nieces, nephews, family, and friends.