SENECA COUNTY, Ohio — The Tunnel to Towers Foundation announced that it has paid off, in full, the mortgage for the family of fallen Tiffin firefighter and paramedic Sean Tyler.
Tyler died in June 2022 at the age of 37 following a three-and-a-half-year battle with cancer connected to his firefighting career. He is survived by his wife Ashley and three children.
According to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, Tyler was a fourth-generation firefighter, following his great-grandfather, grandfather and father. He began working for the Tiffin Fire and Rescue Division in 2007 but was forced to retire in 2019 following his cancer diagnosis.
The foundation said on his days off as a firefighter, he worked as a registered emergency room nurse at Mercy Health. He also coached the Norwalk Buckeyes youth football program, was a volunteer coach for fifth and sixth grade football at Norwalk St. Paul and volunteered at the Norwalk-area food bank.
“I can't thank the Tunnel to Towers Foundation enough! This is incredible and my family is so very thankful for this foundation," Ashley Tyler said. "I am speechless on the generosity they have shown us during this difficult time."
The Tunnel Towers Foundation said it pays off mortgages through its First Responder Home Program for families of law enforcement officers and firefighters killed in the line of duty, die from 9/11-related illnesses, and those who leave behind young children.
“Firefighter Sean Tyler lived a life of service. He was a firefighter, a nurse, a coach, a husband and a father," Tunnel to Towers chairman and CEO Frank Siller said. "Today, on the anniversary of 9/11 we honor his service, and willingness to help in every aspect of his life, by taking care of the family he left behind, the way Sean took care of so many during his life."
