COLUMBUS
Michael E. “Mike” Tryon, age 76 passed away on Friday evening, August 23, 2024 at Columbus Regional Hospital. He was a resident of Columbus.
Mike was born June 27, 1948 in Martinsville, to his parents, the late Edwin Lewis and Julia Juanita (Arnold) Tryon. He was a 1965 graduate of Brown County High School, where he was a National Merit Scholar semi-finalist and he wrote the BCHS Fight Song. He went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics with a minor in Physics from Indiana University in Bloomington, where he was a member of “The Marching Hundred”.
Mike retired in 1997 from Naval Avionics (later the Naval Air Warfare Station) in Indianapolis, where he worked as a Computer Engineer and Systems Analyst on rocket propulsion and early network technology projects for over 33 years. He was a Partner with Freight Transportation Research (FTR) in Bloomington since 1997, where he was instrumental in making FTR a premier forecasting firm for commodity transportation. Coworkers will remember Mike for always being kind, gentle, smart and for keeping his meticulous handwritten notes.
He was a member of MENSA (where he met and married his wife Colleen) which is a community pursuing common social, cultural, and intellectual pursuits. Mike enjoyed being outdoors, especially walking in the woods. He was an avid baseball fan, attending Toronto Blue Jays games from their inaugural season on and following the Indianapolis Indians Baseball Team He loved nothing more than a beautiful day at the ballgame with his family and a scoring book. Mike was an avid reader who also enjoyed anything that generated statistics. Mike’s true passion was his love for his family, especially his grandchildren. He was known to his children, grandchildren, and anyone who knew them as “Papa”. He would answer any question they had for him, no matter how hard it was to track down.
Mike is survived by his loving wife of 44 years, Mary Colleen Cullinan, whom he married March 15, 1980 in Jeffersonville, Indiana. He is also survived by his children, Annie Laurie (Spencer) Medvick of Richfield, OH, Benjamin (Christina) Tryon of New Albany, OH, Mathew (Janet) Lowry Sr. of Avon, OH, Patty (Michael) Pigman of Columbus and Mary Rose (Jeff) Fogler of Indianapolis; grandchildren, Jacob, Jeffrey, Alexander, Sophia, Mathew Jr (Raquel) Samuel, Isaac, Lane, Daniel, Emily, Michael, Mary Beth, John, Joseph, Margot, and one grandchild on the way; brothers, Richard Tryon of Westport, Jeffrey (Sue) Tryon of Nashville and Timothy (Sarah) Tryon of Belmont; and many nieces and nephews.
A Celebration of Mike’s Life will be held privately among family and his closest friends. Inurnment will be at Unity Baptist Cemetery in Brown County.
Memorial contributions can be sent in honor of Mike to National Public Radio (NPR) P.O. Box 791490 Baltimore, MD 21279-1490 or Project Gutenberg (Gutenberg.org/donate/).
Expressions of sympathy can be made to the Tryon family at meredith-clark.com.
