After I had mentioned the Tuttle family in last month’s newsletter, Becky Zonner gave me an article about Rev. Tuttle.

   On Sunday, April 25, 1976, the service was in honor of Rev. Tuttle. Rev. Marvin McRoberts, Rev. John McRoberts, and Rev. David McRoberts led this service. On Easter Sunday of this year, the worship attendance was 282, and church school was 104.

   Rev. Tuttle died in August 1978. He had been minister at Tyler from 1944 – 1959. He was in business from 1924 – 1936 in Lancaster as a member of the Mills Memorial United Brethren Church. He enlisted full-time in ministry in 1936 at the Rockbridge-Gibsonville circuit.

   He served in Mowrystown from 1939 – 1944, and also served in Portsmouth for a time. He was in Whitehall in 1959 and organized St. Marks Evangelical U.B. in Lincoln Village South in Columbus. He was associate pastor at Trinity Church 1967 – 1974.

   He retired from ministry in 1966. In addition to all of these years, he was a part-time chaplain at the Veterans Hospital, and was statistician and director of audio-visual aides for the Southeast Ohio Conference. He helped organize the Inter-Church Youth League, and was a long-time member of the Ross County Ministerial Association, and a past-president of the Evening Lions Club. 

   Rev. Tuttle was born July 15, 1900 in Junction City to the Rev. Howard B. and Ida Tuttle. On May 12, 1924, he was married to Marvene Stevens. The family had a daughter Mary Ellen, and three sons: Otto, Richard and James.

   He was an active minister, especially to all of us (then) young people. We had Christian Endeavor and many other activities. I remember taking a trip to Gold Cliff Park near Circleville to roller-skate. If I recall, he tried to skate also. Many of the things we did were mostly church activities as this was during war time, and gas rationing limited running around. Most of us lived near the church, so we walked and many friendships developed during this time.

   To me, the most exciting thing that happened while Rev. Tuttle was here was he married Bob and me and my sister Eleanor and Elwood with a double wedding on the 4^th of July in sweltering heat long before air conditioning. Also, the plans for our addition to the church and the building were completed during his ministry.

   I am thankful for those years and pray that all of the present members can work together to maintain and increase Tyler church now and in the future.

                                                L. Merrill