Tyson Patton Crowder

Tyson Patton Crowder, loving husband and avid outdoorsman, died Friday, August 11, 2023 at age 54 following a tragic work accident. Tyson’s talents and interests were many. He loved to hike, bike, kayak, ski and snowboard. His love of the outdoors started as a toddler when his parents would take his family to explore the Smoky Mountains surrounding their family cabin at Mountain Homes in Walland, TN. He attended Maryville City Schools where he excelled in soccer, wrestling and gymnastics. Following high school, he participated in Outward Bound and earned a BA in psychology at the University of Tennessee. His college summers spent working as a raft guide on the Ocoee river developed his love for the outdoors and his passion for working with kids. He built homes in Knoxville and was most proud of one he had built in the woods of the beloved Sandpoint, Idaho while creating everlasting friendships and working with troubled teens as a team leader at Montana Academy. In 2014, Tyson returned to Maryville, TN to spend time with and take care of his ailing father. He was a family man who united everyone, keeping the love of family close to everyone’s heart. In the spring of 2015, he finally met the love of his life, Brandy Abernethy Downing and married on May 13, 2022. Their relationship was built on love, laughter, and spirit filled with life of adventure. He had two wonderful stepdaughters that he raised for over eight years in which he loved deeply, and taught them so many ways to fill their hearts with joy. He loved wood turning and could see beautiful things not yet created. He was an accomplished telemark skier and a member of the National Ski Patrol, where he created lifelong friendship. As his final act of selflessness Tyson gave the greatest gifts of all, life and hope, to four organ recipients around the country. In a letter written to the recipients, his family said “If you were lucky enough to know Tyson, you knew you were a better person for it. A part of him will always be with us. And now this is true for you, too. Part of his legacy is the infinite capacity to love and live life to the fullest”. Tyson was preceded in death by his father, Clay Gardner Crowder. He is survived by his wife, Brandy Abernethy Crowder; stepdaughters, Virginia and Rose Marie Downing; mother, Sarah Carolyn Patton; step-mother, Margie Ribble; father and mother in-law, Harvey and Diana Abernethy; siblings, Barry Crowder, Chandra Rueff, Kelly Thompson, and Michael Thompson; nieces, Delilah Rueff and Caitlin Blair; great-niece, Aya Vanlandingham; brother and sister in-law, Chip and Mary Abernethy and their children Alex, Avery and Austin Abernethy. A Celebration of Life Service will be held at The Episcopal Church of the Ascension on Saturday, December 16th at 4:00pm. Memorials in Tyson’s honor can be sent to Friends of the Smokies www.friendsofthesmokies.org/donate

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Tyson Patton Crowder

August 25, 1968 - August 11, 2023