Tyler Wilson Duckworth

Tyler Wilson Duckworth was born in Fargo, ND on March 8, 1982. His family later moved to Anchorage, AK, living there from 1984-1987. Tyler attended grade school and junior high in Burnsville, MN. He attended The Academy of Holy Angels in Richfield, MN, during his high school years. Tyler was passionate about language, studying German for two years and Russian for seven years. He even won a city-wide Russian language competition. Tyler was elected class president during his senior year at Holy Angels. In addition, he studied piano for many years.

The Burnsville Swim Club was a huge part of his life from the 3rd grade on. He placed as one of the top 16 swimmers in the United States when he was in the 15-16 year old age bracket. Following his high school graduation, he was recruited to swim at Tufts University in Medford, MA. Tyler set numerous pool records, earned awards each year for his performances, and was the only men’s swimmer to compete at nationals in multiple years.

While studying at Tufts, he was active in multiple school organizations, embracing a prominent leadership role in the LGBTQ community, thrilling audiences in the Spirit of Color Dance Troupe with choreography and high kicks, and as Social Chair of Alpha Tau Omega (a co-ed campus fraternity). He became Tufts’ first male “homecoming queen” in 2003, breaking boundaries and inspiring others with his genuineness and charisma. Two of Tyler’s professors were also award-winning television producers, fueling his interest in media production. He soon went on to be part of his professors’ team that created the documentary, “Emmanuel’s Gift,” which won an Espy award. He graduated in 2004 with a degree in American Studies and Comparative Religion and was pursuing a master’s degree in Education.

Tyler was passionate about the Olympics. He was able to attend and became a media presence at several of them including Athens (2004), Beijing (2008), Vancouver (2010), London (2012), and Sochi, Japan (2014). The producers of “The Real World: Key West” (2006) chose him out of 40,000 applicants to be a part of their show. This led to multiple years of reality TV. He went on to compete in “The Duel,” “Gauntlet,” “Cutthroat,” and “Rivals,” winning back-to-back seasons.

Tyler had an impressive ability to create and maintain lasting friendships wherever he went. After college, he lived in Boston for ten years and then moved to Los Angeles for 10 years. Because of Covid 19, LA was practically shut down. So, in 2020 Tyler ended up on his mom’s doorstep in North Dakota. He began substitute teaching and soon earned his teaching credentials. Besides the Olympics and swimming, his other passion was world history. He was employed at Valley Middle School teaching World History and social sciences classes. His students recognized and benefitted from his enthusiasm, humor, and sense of adventure in every undertaking. He had a knack for making everyday activities and lessons fun and meaningful. Numerous colleagues commented that he was an amazing educator… he worked hard and was dedicated to his students and colleagues. Tyler knew exactly how to get even the toughest learners on board. He cared for each individual student, and they knew it.

He lived life at full speed whether he was swimming, studying history, socializing, working out, or teaching. He was tireless in his pursuit of excellence. His memory will be remembered and cherished for his incredible kindness, vitality, humor, and the joy he brought to those around him. His legacy lives on through the lives he touched and the memories he created.

Tyler is survived by his father, Jack Duckworth, and his stepmother, Gwen Duckworth. He also leaves behind his mother, Joni Duckworth. He will be missed by his brother, Jackson Duckworth, and his sister-in-law, Des Duckworth.

A Memorial Service will be held at Augustana Lutheran Church at 2:00 PM on Saturday, August 22, 2026. Visitation will take place one hour prior to the service. In addition to street parking, additional parking can be found at Parking Garage located at the intersection of 1st Ave N. and N. 4th St.