Tyler Jerome Qualley

MINNEAPOLIS – Tyler J. Qualley, age 25, passed away peacefully on Monday, May 4, 2026, at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis from sudden and extreme complications of Vascular Ehlers-Danlos (VED) syndrome, a rare congenital condition. He lived his life to the fullest, cherishing every opportunity to make a difference in other’s lives and enriching himself along the way.

A funeral service will be held at Northview – North Mankato Mortuary, 2060 Commerce Drive, at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 9, 2026, with a visitation and luncheon from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Burial will follow at Minneopa Cemetery in Mankato.

Tyler was born in Springfield, Ill., on November 30, 2000, to Jerome “J.D.” and Rachel (Knutson) Qualley. Tyler was one minute older than his twin brother, Justin. He and his family enjoyed going on many campouts in their travel trailer and visited 45 states together. After moving to Mankato in 2015, he made the most of his time at Mankato West High School.

Throughout high school, Tyler was involved in music and enjoyed singing and playing guitar. He was a member of the choir, theater program, drama club and speech team. He loved going on the class trip to Europe for Spanish Class. After graduating from West in 2019, Tyler went on to earn his Bachelor of Science in Business Management Information Systems and Marketing (double major) from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, graduating a semester early. Tyler sang tenor during all four years of college in the Basses Wild men’s acapella group, recording an album on Spotify and serving as their president his senior year. He added another international destination to his travel experiences when he took an Eco-Tourism course in Costa Rica as his final degree requirement. Upon graduating, he was employed with Ovative Group in Minneapolis as a Senior Analyst on their digital marketing team.

Tyler is survived by his parents, J.D. and Rachel Qualley; brother, Justin (fiancé, Annabella Frentz) Qualley; sister, Amanda Qualley; life partner, GraceAnne Sterling; grandmothers, Mary Knutson and Cheryl Moore-Qualley; uncles, Ronald (Nancy) Knutson and Douglas (Kelly) Knutson; aunt, Lezlie Stephens; cousins, Nicholas Knutson, Olivia Knutson, Kyle Knutson, Kaycee Knutson, Carson Knutson, Nicholas Stephens and Joshua Stephens; as well as a whole host of friends.

He was preceded in death by his grandfathers, Owen Knutson, Jerry Qualley and Paul "Papa Paul" Moore; and uncle, Troy Stephens.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to support education and research for VEDs here: https://thevedsmovement.org/donate/

Tyler always maintained his positive attitude and lighthearted spirit, living his short life to the absolute fullest. He was such a special guy; a light and gift to this world and to all of us who knew and loved him. Even though he was small in stature, he had a giant heart and always filled the room with warmth, kindness, and laughter.

The live stream link below is a complimentary service provided by

Mankato Area Funeral Homes.

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a diminished end product. Please note, if the live stream does not appear,

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