Jeannie and Bob Tyler Jr. were most worried about their son, Daniel, while he was serving two stints in Iraq. They thought their concerns would end when he returned from Iraq for the final time in December.

The Tylers realized Friday that although their son was safe from war, he was not out of harm's way. That was the day Daniel died in a motorcycle accident.

Daniel, 23, of Charleston had just gotten his permit for his motorcycle Thursday and couldn't wait until the weather got warm enough for him to ride.

"He loved that motorcycle. It was his pride," said Shannon Intorcia, his girlfriend. "He picked out the parts and painted it, everything."

On Friday, Daniel strapped on his helmet, promised his mom he would be careful and then went to ride around with some of his friends. Later that afternoon Daniel was riding across Charleston's 35th Street Bridge and hit a retaining wall. He flew off his bike and onto the interstate below.

Daniel was always very cautious, and his family wants people to know that he would never drive recklessly or endanger any human life after what he saw while fighting in Iraq.

"His respect for human life, after he saw all that, the last thing he would want to do is harm another human," said Christine Miller, his aunt.

Not only has the family had to cope with the death of their son, but for the past three months they also have had to deal with the illness of Bob Tyler Sr., Daniel's grandfather, who has colon cancer.

When Bob Tyler Sr. heard about his grandson's accident, he immediately said he wished it could have been him instead.

Daniel had wanted a motorcycle since he was in first grade but didn't have a chance to get one until last fall when his two tours in Iraq had almost ended.

Daniel was a sergeant with Company C, 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment in Iraq and was in charge of seven soldiers by the time he was honorably discharged. He was able to come home from the war Dec. 24.

He received seven medals and three badges. He was most proud of his expert infantry badge, which he earned after proving he could do everything he learned, said his brother, Bobby.

When he came home, Daniel was the same cheerful person he always had been, family members said.

"Not even the war could change him. He had problems when he came back, but not anything that changed his personality. He had trouble sleeping sometimes. He had depression, but he had been doing real well," his mother said.

Daniel was dealing not only with the emotions of coming back from the war, but he was also going through a divorce. He had married his high school sweetheart, Cathy Stone, before he went to Iraq.

Still, Daniel was happy and was looking forward to a future with his girlfriend.

The couple had just begun renting a house, and he was in the process of moving out of his parents' home.

He had decided to begin attending West Virginia State University in the fall and had talked to the coach about joining the basketball team.

"He was 6 foot 1 inch. He had joined the YMCA. He went up there to practice every day," his mother said.

Signs of Daniel are everywhere in the Tyler household. He was very artistic, and his paintings of mountain landscapes and drawings of Spider Man are spread throughout the family's living room.

He was also a faithful Catholic, his family said, and a sign he had carved with the seven deadly sins and the word "faith" next to it lay on the coffee table.

"When he was 12, he would start asking questions about God. I always said he was supposed to be the priest in the family," Jeannie Tyler said. "Then the hormones came and everything. But he still had tremendous faith. He always talked to me about faith."

The Tyler family's belief in God will get them through this tragedy, family members said.

"Through all the years there have been peaks and valleys, but we've endured. It's always been by the grace of God and we know that. And Daniel knew that. He got it," his father said.

Right before Daniel was released from the service, he got a tattoo on his neck that said, "Forgive me." It was another testament to his tremendous faith in God, his mother said.

The family is determined to go on and remember the person who touched their lives so deeply.

"He was a sweet, sweet boy who had gorgeous blue eyes that could melt my heart. He could melt anyone's heart," his aunt said.

Contact writer Kelly Holleran at kellyh@dailymail.com or 348-4850.

Obituary

Daniel Keith Tyler

Daniel Keith Tyler, 23, of Charleston, passed away, March 9, 2007, after a motorcycle accident.

He was born July 7, 1983, in Charleston and was preceded in death by an aunt, Rose Marie Given; and an uncle, Gary Wayne Whitten.

He played baseball at Midwestern Little League, golf for Roosevelt Jr. High and attended Capital High School. He was a Sergeant, honorably discharged by the U.S. Army, 10th Mountain Division, 11 Bravo, 214 Charlie Company, having served two deployments to Iraq. Daniel was a member of Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

He is survived his wife, Cathy Stone Tyler; mother, Jeannie Whitten Tyler; and father, Robert E. Tyler Jr., all of Charleston; sister, Elizabeth Anne Galloway of Hurricane; brother, Sgt. Robert Charles Tyler, stationed with the U.S. Army, Fort Drum, N.Y.; loving friend, Shannon Intorcia of Charleston; maternal grandmother, Emma Jean Sneed and her husband, Edward; maternal grandfather, Charles Coleman and his wife Elizabeth; paternal grandparents, Robert E. Tyler Sr. and his wife Barbara Ann, all of Charleston; nieces, Madisyn E. Stutler and Natasha G. Tyler; nephew, Zachary R. Tyler; and many loving aunts and uncles.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, March 14, at Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral. Burial, with Military Rites, will follow in Mount Olivet Cemetery, Charleston.

The family will receive friends from 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at Elk Funeral Home, 2001 Pennsylvania Ave., Charleston, with a Prayer of the Christian Wake Service at 8 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, family suggests donations to the Gabriel Project, in Daniel's name, in care of Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral, 1114 Virginia St. East, Charleston, WV 25301.

Arrangements are in the care of Elk Funeral home, Charleston.