Tom Tyler and his birth family

In observance of Tom Tyler’s 119th birthday, August 9, 2022, I’d like to share some birth (and death) information about his family and where his birth ranking is among his other four siblings. First, some information about his parents.

Frank Markowski was born on August 15, 1873 in Lithuania; his wife Helen Mantivila was born three days after, on August 18 of the same year. Rare is it for a married couple to share such close birthdates, perhaps even rarer if they share the same exact birthdate. Together, they had five children which they raised upon settling in Port Henry, New York. One interesting thing to note is that Frank and Helen’s first child, Frank Michael, was born in Lithuania prior to the small family immigrating to America.

The five Markowski children were born in the following order:

Frank Michael Tyler (born September 21, 1900; died July 21, 1975)

Tom Tyler (Vincent Markowski) (born August 9, 1903; died May 1, 1954)

Molly Redge (born December 24, 1906; died October 28, 1987)

Joseph John Marko (born November 18, 1907; died May 6, 1972)

Katherine Slepski (born February 17, 1911; died August 1, 1972)

Katherine being the youngest, was also the closest to Tom, eventually becoming his caregiver during the last years of his life due to scleroderma’s effects on his body. Sadly, Tom’s father Frank died in 1935 at the age of 61, before getting a chance to see his second-born son become the first superhero on film, Captain Marvel. Eight years later, his mother Helen died, at the age of 70. The family plot is located at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Detroit, Michigan.