The South Lyon community is mourning the loss of a former mayor, teacher and overall community advocate.

Tedd Wallace passed away Tuesday morning at the age of 68. Wallace served as mayor of South Lyon from 1985 to 1989, and then again from 2009-2015. He also taught in the local schools for 20 years. South Lyon Mayor Dan Pelchat says Wallace was a close friend and he was all about South Lyon - all day, every day. He says it’s a tragic loss for the community but also shocking because many people just saw Wallace at the football game this past Friday night - adding the majority of people in town who knew him and loved him are hurting today.

Pelchat met Wallace on the playground when he started 2nd grade at Bartlett Elementary. Pelchat says Wallace was their all-time quarterback on the playground for years – stories he says Wallace enjoyed sharing to this day. As he grew up and graduated, Pelchat went into broadcasting and worked with Wallace at the local television channel. He says Wallace broadcasted the South Lyon Lions for over 30 years and never missed game, saying they worked together till he retired the station around 2016. Pelchat had Wallace as a teacher but also worked with him in broadcasting at the local television station after graduation. In 2017, Pelchat ran for mayor and he says they always had a very open door policy - noting anything that Wallace was always sure to let him know what was on his mind and his thoughts about things going on in the community.

Pelchat told WHMI Wallace’s death is a tough loss for the community because it crosses generations and he says anyone who has been a resident of South Lyon for any amount of time knew who Wallace was and most likely, he knew who they were so that was pretty special. Pelchat added that Wallace was a great story teller and simply “told it like it is”. He noted Wallace was also a history buff and wrote monthly articles for the Courant newspaper about something that happened in the past about the City. In March of 2015, Wallace almost drowned while vacationing in the Virgin Islands and later published a book about the experience. Wallace was pulled out to sea by a riptide while vacationing in St. Croix and a Danish tourist tried to save him but died in the attempt. A second man was able to pull Wallace from the water and Wallace later wrote a book titled “My Boogie Board Ride to Denmark” detailing his near-death experience.

Funeral arrangements are pending. (JM)