Jennifer Gutmann Tyne

Our beloved Jennifer Gutmann Tyne, age 52, of Orono, Maine, passed away peacefully on September 18, 2022 at her home, surrounded by her family. Jen was born March 10, 1970 in Troy NY to Ronald and Suzanne Gutmann. She bound into this world with zeal, determined to leave no stone unturned…and that she did. She is a collector of friends and adventures. She is generous and loyal. She is as smart as a whip, and committed to her principles.

Jen is survived by husband Andrew, and children Patrick, Eleanor, and Maureen; her parents Ron and Sue Gutmann, brother David Gutmann (Kate Strang Gutmann), nephews Mathew and Shaun, a large Tyne family contingent, and countless friends. This network of family and friends will never be the same without Jen, but are undeniably better having had her in their lives.

Jen grew up in Troy, NY and graduated from Troy High School in 1988. She had deep roots in the upstate town and her friendships from her childhood represent some of her most loyal life companions. Like her father, Jen dreamed in math equations and complex computations, so she went on to Boston College and earned her BA in Mathematics in 1992. At BC, Jen collected more friends. She was a proud Eagle and Superfan, always ready to plan a tailgate or late night dance party. Her junior year, she studied abroad in Galway, Ireland where she refined her taste for Guiness, and appreciation for simple authentic cultures. Her collection of BC friends and roommates created a sisterhood with a 30 year history.

After college, Jen took her adventuring to the next level and volunteered in Bethel, Alaska through the Jesuit Volunteer Corp. Her village was remote and her service work was challenging, but Jen was happy to “rough it”. She created a connection to indiginous cultures and a deep responsibility to serving the poor and underrepresented.

Throughout her time in Alaska, her mind kept “seeing numbers and data”, so when her service commitment was over, she attended UNC-Chapel Hill and earned an MS in Operations Research. Her first “real’ job took her back to the Pacific Northwest, to Olympia Washington, where she worked for the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission. Jen collected more friends and adventures in WA; she learned to ice climb, winter camp, and hiked all over the Cascade Mts and Olympic Peninsula.

After several years, she began to feel the pull of the Northeast. On the recommendation of a friend, Jen moved to Maine to live simply and serve the poor at an organization called H.O.M.E. Coop in Orland, ME. She volunteered for two years building houses, writing grants, and doing anything asked of her, all the while living in their St Francis Community right on Toddy Pond. It was at H.O.M.E. that she met and fell in love with Andy Tyne.

Married on July 27, 2001, they heralded their union with a march down Main Street in Castine, Maine to the smooth sound of Andy’s slide trombone. She deepened her roots in the state by working first as a part-time adjunct in the Math Dept at UMaine, and eventually as a full time lecturer. Over her 20 year teaching career she impacted the growth and development of a generation of students, and earned the Presidential Teaching Award in 2019, the highest teaching award at the University of Maine.

Jen and Andy created a beautiful life together in Maine. They explored every corner of the state, first in their Westfalia, then as the family grew in the pop-up camper, while creating lifetime memories for their three amazing children. These memories were made in their favorite places such as Lake Nicatous, Mt Katahdin, the Blue Hill peninsula, Campobello Island, and a yearly trip to Prince Edward Island.

It is safe to say that Jen left no stone unturned. She wrung life dry and was an example of curiosity, compassion and courage to all.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated 10AM Friday September 23, 2022 at Parish of the Resurrection, Holy Family Church, 429 Main St Old Town. Private burial will be at Riverside Cemetery Orono. A reception and celebration of life gathering will be held at the Collins Center for the Arts, 3rd floor in the Bodwell Area, University of Maine, Orono following the funeral mass.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Inheritance of Hope, an organization that Jen held dear to her heart. https://inheritanceofhope.org/