Tyler Anthony Ballew

Tyler Anthony Ballew, age 13, of Las Vegas, Nevada passed away on Sunday, December 11, 2022. Tyler was born in Dover, Delaware and is the oldest child of Eric and Renee Ballew. Tyler has two younger sisters, Ashley (age 11) and Natalie (age 7) that will forever admire their brother and miss him immensely. Tyler, a seventh grader, attended Sig Rogich Middle School in Las Vegas. He absolutely loved sports and played a bit of everything including lacrosse, flag football, basketball, soccer, swim team, gymnastics, hip-hop dance classes, karate and wrestling. When Tyler was not playing sports, he sustained his deep friendships with teammates and classmates. He encouraged his younger sisters in competitive dance and gymnastics. On any given day, Tyler could seamlessly transition from scoring touchdowns in flag football or shooting basketball 3 pointers to a coveted seat at a princess tea party or a weekend dance competition.

From an early age, Tyler enjoyed reading and earned the Accelerated Reader top student award in his first-grade class. After being the only student in his second-grade class to receive straight A’s, he tested into the Gifted and Talented Education Program. His hard-work and keen intellect earned him a seat in the accelerated program at both Staton Elementary and Sig Rogich Middle School. Tyler enjoyed music and played the piano and guitar, starting in kindergarten. He also loved water sports and spent hours in the backyard pool, inventing multiple games that the whole family played. Tyler loved to watch movies in the backyard on a projector during family summer swim nights. He enjoyed traveling and visited 25 states. He talked often of his favorite vacation, which was a Disney Cruise to the Bahamas that he took with his cousins. They swam with dolphins and ran all over the ship together. He never turned down a water slide and frequented many Wet & Wild, Cowabunga Bay or the ultimate, Great Wolf Lodge water parks. Tyler always enjoyed riding his bike to nearby parks and throwing the football or lacrosse ball with his friends or his dad. He also enjoyed playing video games or collecting and trading Pokémon cards with his friends and cousins. He entered multiple Fortnite competitions and enjoyed spending time with friends in person or on FaceTime calls while gaming.

Tyler loved being a big brother. He wanted to name his youngest sister “Sparkles” before she was born, and he completely adored Natalie once she arrived. He lovingly referred to her as his “Best Buddy,” and they will forever share a special bond. Tyler and Ashley were also extremely close. Only separated by 18 months in age and both in diapers when she was born, they grew up together and became especially close during the pandemic lockdown. They hung out every day in between their virtual classes. In addition to being the big brother, Tyler was also the first of nine grandchildren. As a natural leader, he embraced the role as the oldest cousin going on many vacations together and playing sports and video games. Over the years, they became more like siblings than cousins.

Tyler’s life was far too short, but in his 13 years he characterized the qualities of a friend/teammate and made an incredibly positive impact on many for years to come. He consistently thought of others before himself. As a toddler, Tyler grabbed a cookie to share with the Cookie Monster at Sesame Place, because he knew Cookie liked cookies oh, so much. Tyler held a friend’s hand in line at Disneyland when she was feeling nervous about an upcoming ride. Additionally, he reminded his family to pray for a friend going through a difficult time even as he himself battled stage 4 cancer.

The last year and a half, Tyler battled cancer (melanoma). Tyler received treatment at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis and more recently at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Throughout his fight with melanoma, he was incredibly mature and never complained or questioned why he was given the struggle of cancer at such a young age. He continued to go to school and play basketball, football, wrestling and lacrosse while receiving treatment. Tyler was an incredible teammate and loved playing sports so much that he even played on a Memphis flag football team while getting daily radiation and immunotherapy at St. Jude.

As a military child, Tyler was loved by so many friends that had relocated all over the country. Tyler’s teachers described him as incredibly intelligent and creative, always wanting to learn new things and “a friend to all.” His classmates described him as extremely funny and outgoing. This character trait and love of life sometimes got him in trouble with his teachers but made him even more loved by his friends and peers. He was known to have a near constant smile on his face from the day he was born. He loved making people laugh and he never missed an opportunity to socialize with his many friends. To all of Tyler’s teachers, coaches, mentors, family and friends, we want to thank you for helping nurture and develop the young man that we love and miss so dearly. We love you Tyler Anthony Ballew. You are a best friend, the best son, big brother and cousin ever. We will always treasure the time that we got to spend with you, and we will miss you forever.

A funeral service for Tyler will be held on Saturday, January 21, 2023, 1:00 PM at Palm Northwest Mortuary, 6701 North Jones Boulevard, Las Vegas, Nevada 89131. This will be followed by a committal service and reception with food, providing us all an opportunity to share stories, pictures, and memories celebrating Tyler’s life.

Tyler will be laid to rest in Palm Northwest Cemetery, 6701 North Jones Boulevard, Las Vegas, Nevada 89131 - Garden of Heritage. He will be deeply missed, forever loved and always remembered.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.palmnorthwest.com for the Ballew family.