Jim's "Last Ride"

These are the links to videos of Jim Tyerman's official "last ride." His ashes are in the passenger seat of his own dune buggy he built, now driven and owned by nephew Dion Harris. This was a part of his funeral at the Tonopah Sand Dunes in Nevada, where he had many great times with family and friends.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsdolnym_Ic


There will be more to come, and more editing to do!

Funeral Photos

Thank you to all for sharing their cameras and pictures!

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/fbx/?set=a.10150232948771210.359889.670421209&l=3aabcc4af8

Directions to the Funeral Service

The Tonopah Sand Dunes are pretty easy to find, once you make it to that area. We will be in the camping area by the big Crescent-shaped dune. Here are some directions from the sites listed below:

Directions:

From Tonopah (junction of Hwy 95 and Hwy 6):

North on Highway 95 from Tonopah towards Hawthorne for 4.6 miles. Turn right on Pole Line Rd. Go north for about 9 miles and turn right on dirt road leading to the dunes. The camping area is 2 miles in, next to the first large crescent-shaped dune.

GPS Coordinates:

Camping Area - N 38 13 74, W 117 20 04

Access Road Turnoff - N 38 13 02, W 117 22 27

Highway 95 and Pole Line Rd - N 38 05 64, W 117 18 50

There are helpful pictures also on this site:
http://www.duneguide.com/sand_dune_guide_crescent_dunes.htm

More information on the Tonopah Sand Dunes:
http://www.riderplanet-usa.com/atv/trails/info/nevada_05781/ride_89c5.htm

Jim's Funeral

On Saturday, April 23 we will spread Jim's ashes in the Tonapah Sand Dunes. We look forward to friends and family members joining us in this act. We will most likely camp and ride Friday through Sunday but understand if some are only able to come for that day. We welcome all and understand that not all can come.

Either way, please fee free to send any memories you would like shared.

To all that are interested in coming to Tonapah for my father's funeral, please email me at jessit3@gmail.com so that we have some idea of who's camping and who's not, what vehicles will be there, etc. You can also email memories to that same address. Thank you.

Memorial DVDs & Funeral Service

After many hours of editing and revising the slideshow from Jim's memorial service, I finally finished creating DVDs of the final project! There are several at our house in Bishop but I can also mail you one if you email me (jessit3@gmail.com) your address.

If you're interested in attending the funeral service, we are going to have a celebration of his life as we spread his ashes at the Tonapah sand dunes. We are planning this for Easter weekend - April 22-24. More details will be posted on this site as the date gets closer.

In the meanwhile, please continue to send stories for the memory book, as we'd like to share these at the funeral.

Memorial

Thanks to all of the family, friends, coworkers, neighbors, doctors, caretakers, and others who came to the memorial on Saturday, December 4. Also a special thank you to Arnie and Kelliann Palu for offering their fabulous home and hospitality for the event. It was spectacular to see how many people were able to share in his memory and provide support.

To those that couldn't make it, we still plan to spread his ashes in the spring - tentatively April 21-24 (Easter holiday weekend) - save the date. I would still love to get entries for the Memory Book I'm putting together to share at that time.

For all, I am working on making the slideshow into a DVD and also posting it online. I will at least have CDs available while I'm home for the holidays this weekend, and will leave some there for interested parties to pick up.

Obituary

--- for Inyo Register 11/25/10 ---

James Preston Tyerman passed away Friday, November 19 around noon. It was just 9 days after his 63rd birthday. He spent his last moments at home with family.

He was born in Oildale, near Bakersfield, California to Gene and Alice Tyerman. He was in the Navy, stationed in Hawaii, during the Vietnam war. He moved to Bishop as a young man and was married to D.D. Merrick in 1977. They had their daughter in 1983 and their son two years later. They proudly watched their children graduate from high school and college.

Jim spent some of his best moments outdoors riding his Harley he rebuilt, racing on sand dunes in his dune buggy he made, and tinkering in his garages - including the one at his old business - Tyerman’s Tire Center. He was a supporter of the local Destruction Derbies, competing for many years and always enjoying the challenge of prepping a derby car. Basically, Jim could build and fix anything with a steering wheel and tires. In fact, he was quite the jack-of-all-trades handyman that many people turned to for assistance and advice.

He was diagnosed with an aggressive tongue cancer in October 2009. Although chemotherapy and radiation treatments helped control some of the tumor, his condition declined rapidly. The family would like to thank Roberta and Anita at Hospice and the doctors and nurses at the Rural Health Clinic for their time and care. It was a painful struggle for all to see how cancer changes the vitality of a person - especially someone with so much gusto.

Friends and family will forever tell fond memories of Jimmy, aka “Toolman Tyerman.” His strength and spirit will live on in his wife, D.D. Tyerman; his children, Joshua and Jessica Tyerman; his siblings Linda & Ron Jernigan, Diana Hamlin, and Bob Smith; his father-in-law, Jim Merrick; and his nieces & nephews, Dion & Staci Harris, Kelliann & Arnie Palu, Jason Jernigan, and David & Kristy Harris.

The family plans to spread his ashes in the spring. An informal memorial service will be held at the Palu residence, 208 Grandview Drive, on Saturday, December 4 at 3:00 p.m.