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Tyler Thomas Siegel

Tyler was born in Placerville, CA son of Tricia, Don, and older brother Justin Siegel. Tyler was very involved in the community and his passion to spread kindness was evident.

Tyler attended kindergarten at Altamont Creek in Livermore, CA before the family moved to Tracy, CA where Tyler started 1st grade at McKinley. From 2nd to 4th grade Tyler attended Monticello Elementary School before transitioning to Jefferson Middle school for 5th to 8th grade. In the fall of 2019 Tyler began his high school journey at Tracy High School where he was involved and excelled in various extra curricular activities.

Tyler’s mom, Tricia Siegel, said Tyler was extremely active in the community and participated in various activities. Some of these activities included T-ball in Tracy Little League, basketball for Boys & Girls Club, tumbling classes at Classic Gymnastics, and Children’s Dance Theater. In addition Tyler also ran the Polar Run and Dunk at Eagle Lakes with his Aunt and Cousin, walked the Relay for Life in Castro Valley, and was an angel in the Christmas Pageant at VCC.

While dancing at the Children’s Dance theater Tyler had the opportunity to dance the part of Maleficent in Alice in Wonderland and fulfilled his dream of playing Drosselmeyer in the Nutcracker at The Grand Theatre in Tracy, CA.

Tyler’s cousin Kellean describes how losing Tyler felt with a song lyric by Grace Potter, “I lit a fire with the love you left behind.” Kellean said that there was so much he [Tyler] did not get to do, but there was also so much he did do with his whole heart in his short 15 years. She also added, “Be yourself and do it unapologetically (just like Tyler). You will light so many beautiful fires in other’s hearts when you do.”

Tyler’s close friend, sophomore Zoe Mears, described him as extraordinary and he was really good at anything. Mears had many memories with Tyler but she shared a favorite, “When Tyler first started coming to dance at APA he was concerned about his technique. So, we decided that any time the studio was free I would do a one on one with him to teach him more technique. Every week we would swear that we would work hard for an hour but instead we would end up running around and laughing most of the time. Dance had never been so entertaining.”

Mears added that knowing Tyler made her a more forgiving person. “He showed me that if someone is mean to you they probably just feel bad about themselves. Don’t let others bring you down, instead show them compassion so they don’t feel the need to be the way they are,” said Mears.

Lastly, Mears said what she loved most about Tyler was the way he could light up a room with his presence. “He was so confident that everyone could feel his presence when he was around. He could easily shift the mood of the group of people for the better,” said Mears.

Another close friend of Tyler’s, Bobby Costa, shares his favorite memory with him, “In math class Freshman year Tyler broke a ruler and it went flying across the classroom and we were crying laughing for like 30 minutes.” Costa added that Tyler’s most unique quality was his style. “He always dressed SO GOOD and dressed how he wanted and didn’t let anyone tell him he couldn’t,” said Costa.

Costa added that Tyler was always there for his friends no matter what and that knowing Tyler was one of the best things to happen him because he was the perfect example of an amazing friend.

Makayla Thomas ,Tyler’s friend and teammate, said, “Knowing Tyler definitely changed my life in the best way possible. He made me look at life from a different perspective when we would talk about heavy topics and always told me to look at the brighter side of things instead of the negative.”

Thomas adds that she loved how kind and loveable he was.

Melanie Couch described Tyler as spontaneous and that she loved his happy attitude and his confidence to do and say what he does.  “My greatest memory [ with Tyler] was when we were in band together in middle school and when we went to marching parades he would always make it enjoyable with his jokes and cool tricks,” said Couch. She said that knowing Tyler also changed her life in a good way. “Because even if he was going through stuff at home he still put others first and made everyone smile and he always the one you could just talk to about anything.”

Couch also said that a unique quality of Tyler’s was how he was able to do amazing flips or acrobatic tricks he learned by himself. She added that everyone was so amazed by them.

Tricia Siegel said that Tyler loved to discuss his goals for the future. He looked forward to attending college, driving a white Jeep, and working at Starbucks.

Additionally, some of his favorite shows to watch included iCarly, Victorious, Jessie, and the Harry Potter series. He also enjoyed Anime, Netflix, and Youtube.

Tyler was very creative and painted, made beads and slime, as well as taking selfies and posting them on social media.

Some of his favorite foods were Chipotle veggie bowls, Cheese pizza, Caesar salad, and chips with salsa.  Snacks that he liked were Takis, Doritos, Sour Patches, and Sour Skittles.

Beverley Strickland, Tyler’s Sunday School teacher, taught him about the Lord and witnessed his loving spirit. ” His eagerness to learn about Jesus was inspiring. I could always count on Tyler, Shantel, and Isabella to assist with the younger children during Sunday School.”

Furthermore, Strickland added, “Tyler’s love for the stage was evident and sincere. He was able to go within the character(s) and make their personalities believable. It was a pleasure watching him on stage.”

Another friend, Madee Hickman, said that Tyler was outgoing and had the ability to always make you laugh. “My favorite memory with Tyler is when freshman year I was having a terrible day and after school Tyler came and sat with me and he complimented my earrings I was wearing and it really turned my day around. Tyler’s confidence rubbed off on me and he really did make my day better,” said Hickman.

Hickman added that knowing Tyler meant a familiar face in the hallways at school to always make a funny face and make school more comforting knowing that someone like Tyler was always there in the halls

Tyler Siegel touched the lives of many around him with his positive spirit and kind demeanor. He will be forever remembered by family, friends, and his Bulldog family.

If you have any photos or videos of you with Tyler or just Tyler, please send them to the email address : [email protected] to include on Tyler’s Youtube channel.