Allen Tyler, 83, of Lexington, died Monday, December 31, 2007 in the Stonewall Jackson Hospital, Lexington.

Allen Tyler was born in Norfolk to John Goodenow Tyler and Augustine Allen Tyler.

He graduated from Oceana High School and attended the Norfolk Division of VPI for two years before entering the Army in 1943.

He was sent to Europe in late 1943 and served with an anti-aircraft unit until the end of the World War II in Europe. He then completed his college education at VPI in Blacksburg, Virginia and taught a couple of years at Kempsville High School before joining the faculty of the Norfolk Academy, where he taught French and Chemistry.

During the summers, he completed a master's degree in French at Middlebury College, Vermont, and taught French thereafter at the Norfolk Academy. He remained at the Academy until he was accepted in the doctoral program in French at the University of Virginia. His dissertation was a computer generated Concordance to the Fables and Tales of Jean de la Fontaine, published by Cornell University Press in 1974.

He taught French at the College of William and Mary for seven years and moved to Lexington, Virginia in 1958, where he was involved in many volunteer and charitable activities.

He is survived by his wife, Jane Abbot Tyler; two nieces: Jane Tyler Yates and Patricia Tyler Fulford; and a nephew, John Goodenow Tyler.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Opera on the James, Post Office Box 35, Lynchburg, VA 24505. A memorial service will be announced at a later date.

Arrangements are being handled by the Harrison Funeral Home & Crematory in Lexington.