Tyler Rockafellow, 30, of Union Beach, passed away Dec. 18, 2023. Tyler was born Dec. 13, 1993, in Long Branch, a son of Donna Rockafellow and the late Dave Rockafellow. He was raised in Port Monmouth and spent several years traveling around before settling in Georgia with his wife Ariel. After her passing, Tyler returned to New Jersey.
While Tyler was living in Georgia, he was a lineman and also worked in Kings Mountain, North Carolina, for several years. When he returned home to New Jersey this past summer, he went to work for his uncle at Fairview Cemetery.
Tyler was a free spirit. He was not concerned with material things and it did not take much to make him happy. He was happy when he was traveling around the country and meeting new people. Tyler made friends wherever he went.
His lifelong friends nicknamed him “Dirt.” He loved to be outside in nature and was looking forward to a hunting trip he had planned with his uncle.
Tyler will always be remembered as a kind and gentle soul.
Tyler was predeceased by his wife Ariel in October 2021.
He is survived by his mother Donna Rockafellow and his siblings, Annmarie Rockafellow, Shawn Marie Rockafellow, David Rockafellow, J.D. Rockafellow and Kyle Rockafellow. He also leaves behind his in-laws, Chuck and Geno Bridges, his best friends, “Cookie” and “Applesauce,” along with many aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews.
Friends and relatives paid their respects Dec. 28, 2023, at Scott & Kedz Home for Funerals. A service concluded the evening and a private cremation followed.
This article originally appeared in the January 11 – 17, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
