Guy Allan Tynes

Guy Allan Tynes of Shoreline, Washington, passed away on December 27, 2024, at the age of 79 from heart failure. Allan was a loving husband and father; a longtime Memphis radio announcer; an avid reader who early in life read an entire encyclopedia and loved true tales of adventure; an enthusiastic if erratic golf and poker player who once scored a hole in one; and a big-hearted, good-humored guy who wanted little, needed less, and always gave his all.

Allan was born in New Orleans but much of his childhood was spent on the Back Bay of Biloxi, Mississippi, in a modest house on the water. His father, Gycelle Tynes, was a teacher, basketball coach, and later school superintendent of Clarksdale, Mississippi. His mother, Dorothy – everyone called her Dot – was a librarian and civic-minded community leader who loved to laugh. He grew up as the baby of the family with his beloved older siblings, Larry and Betty.

He attended Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi, and met his future wife, Karen, when they were in a Millsaps Players production of the play Antigone. They married in 1969 and moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where their son, John, was born.

While still in college, Allan got a job as a radio DJ thanks to his rich, wonderful voice and conversational style. This turned into a career and from 1969 to 2007 he worked at WREC AM 600 Radio in Memphis, Tennessee. His voice became familiar across the city through the shows he hosted and the commercials he voiced. He was the host of the Tynes Line talk show, the Yours For the Asking midday music request show, and countless other programs over nearly four decades. His creative work as a writer, producer, and announcer left a rich legacy of funny and offbeat radio commercials that won awards and made every listener’s day a little brighter.

At work Allan liked to style himself as a curmudgeon, but his warmth and generosity kept getting in his way. He made numerous lifelong friends and treasured colleagues at WREC and in the Memphis radio and advertising communities. All he wanted from his career was to connect with the audience, play great music, and work with terrific people, and he did those things for four decades. On weekends, he read the newspaper for blind listeners over the Memphis Public Library’s WYPL radio station.

Allan was someone you just loved talking to. He had the richest vocabulary of anyone his family ever knew. He loved to laugh and to deploy his puckish, subtle wit. He had great stories to tell and he shared them with relish. He was known as a great appreciator, the kind of person who in a quiet moment during a gathering would remark on how splendid something was in a way that made everyone feel special to be there. The one time he wrote an opinion article for the Memphis newspaper it was to encourage people to whistle.

In retirement, Allan and Karen moved to the Seattle area to be near their son John and his family. They were joined by his sister Betty and her husband Dave who came to live near their daughter Tracy and her family. Together, they celebrated Thanksgivings and Christmases and birthdays year after year as the grandkids grew surrounded by love.

Allan is preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Larry Tynes. He is survived by his wife Karen, son John, daughter-in-law Jenny, grandchild Viv, sister Betty, and beloved nieces, nephews, and cousins.

This sweet, funny man with a huge heart goes gracefully to his rest buoyed by the fond memories of so, so many people who knew and loved Allan all his days. On the last day of his life he was singing.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Memphis Public Libraries. A memorial service will be held in early February.