By Susan DeVilderJune 12, 2024
Share : |
Several times a day, Julley Bliss’s phone would ring and on the other end would be her son, Tyler Bliss.
“I miss him a lot and mostly the phone calls at 4 or 5 a.m. before he went to work,” said Bliss. At break time from his job installing swimming pools, Tyler would call her again, and after he got home from work- another call. “He would call me when he’d get mad about something, too.”
But on Friday, May 3, Tyler, who would have been 32 on May 22, was struck by a car while riding his bicycle home. The accident happened just outside Kewanee on US Hwy 34.
More: Authorities release name of bicyclist killed in accident | Kewanee Voice
Bliss said she was at a friend’s house when she got the call.
“My son’s best friend’s girlfriend called and told me my son was hit by a car,” she said.
Bliss rushed to the hospital not knowing Tyler’s condition and was ushered into a room to wait. A doctor delivered the bad news that Tyler had died in the accident.
“I was a mess that night,” she said.
Bliss, who came to Kewanee when she was in elementary school, raised her two children, Keisha, 34 and Tyler, on her own as a single mom. It wasn’t always easy, but losing her son has shattered her, she said. Bliss had already lost her mom and granddaughter, loved ones she was close with. With the death of Tyler, she lost even more, she said.
“Me and Tyler were mom and son, but we were best friends, too,” said Bliss.
Adding to her emotional struggles is the financial burden. The cost of Tyler’s cremation still hangs over her. While she is in possession of Tyler’s ashes, she is making payments to the funeral home.
Bliss said she turned to Drew’s Plot, a nonprofit organization in Chillicothe that provides assistance with interment services for families in need. Brad and Robin Bannister started the nonprofit after they lost their son in a car crash in Florida. An outpouring of community support to help give Drew a final resting place led the couple to create the fund to help other families struggling with the unexpected cost. Drew’s Plot gave money to the funeral home to help with Tyler’s final expenses.
Bliss has found others willing to help in the community. At Splat Ink, at 205 N. Tremont St., a fundraiser was held on Tuesday, June 4. Over 100 people turned out, buying $20 micro tattoos and entering a raffle for a chance to win a $200 gift certificate. Jackie Faulkner with Splat Ink said $850 was raised and turned over to the funeral home to apply towards the bill.
“He was a nice kid,” said Faulkner, who said she knows the Blisses through the tattoo parlor. She described Tyler as “super sweet,” “polite” and “kind.”
Bliss describes her son in much the same way. Generous to a fault, “Tyler would give you the shirt off his back. If you needed 50 cents, he would give it to you,” she said.
Her son also loved fishing, the outdoors and dogs and he deeply loved his family, especially his 12-year-old nephew, Ka’ron, Bliss said.
“He loved me and he loved his nephew,” she said.
Tyler also took delight in making people laugh, Bliss said. But he was a great listener, too.
“If you needed to talk to someone, he would sit there and talk to you about what was going on,” she said.
Tyler had been working to get his driver’s license, his mother said. His adopted brother had a car he was gifting to Tyler once that happened. Until then, Tyler rode his bicycle everywhere, which is how he came to be on the roadway late that night in May.
Bliss said she has since learned about the details of Tyler’s night leading up to his death. Her son had gotten off work on that Friday and rode his bike to Kewanee to cash his paycheck. He also made a few stops at the vape shop and went to Walmart to purchase a headlamp to wear while riding his bike; he had forgotten his at home. He was making his way home to Galva sometime after 10 p.m. when he struck.
“My son was a cautious person. If he had seen a car, he would pull over and get in the grass,” said Bliss, who still struggles to make sense of the tragic circ*mstances surrounding her son’s death.
At the site where he was killed, a memorial has been erected for Tyler. Flowers blanket the area, along with a cross and a fishing pole to honor Tyler’s love of fishing. The family held a balloon release there in the area that was still littered with automobile parts and pieces of her son’s cellphone case. Bliss said the spot also bore marks where Tyler’s bike was dragged.
“They found Tyler’s body in the ditch,” she said.
Bliss said she thinks every day on how her son and her family might get justice. The driver of the vehicle was charged with a traffic offense and is set to appear in court next month. Bliss said she and her family and Tyler’s friends plan to be at every hearing.
The police are still investigating and collecting video surveillance from the area, she’s been told. She had a brief conversation with the Henry County Coroner who wouldn’t go into details about Tyler’s injuries but confirmed that the cause of death was from injuries sustained from being struck by a car.
“This has torn me up,” she said.
On Monday, Henry County State’s Attorney Catherine Runty confirmed to The Kewanee Voice that the accident is still under investigation. But for now, Bliss takes one day at a time and finds comfort caring for two dogs that belong to her aunt and nephew.
“It sounds weird but if anyone says a dog doesn’t know you’re grieving, it’s a lie,” said Bliss.
A GoFundMe has been set up, “Justice for Tyler and helping remember who he was,” and has raised just $530 of the $5,000 goal. The fund will help Julley Bliss, and the organizers said they “hope to alleviate some of this burden by raising funds to assist with cremation, funeral expenses and other unexpected costs during this difficult time.”
The owners of Splat Ink are still accepting donations as well and will take donations to the funeral home.
Bliss said that her son’s death still hasn’t sunk in and on some days, doesn’t seem real.
“I still don’t believe he’s gone. It’s like he’s on vacation,” she said.
