These 2 Sussex County men donated their organs. Now they'll be honored at Rose Parade

Tyler Rodimer and Joey Savage's time on Earth was short. But the brown-haired Sussex County men who had a zest for life and were drawn to the outdoors had such a tremendous impact on the lives of others that come the new year, millions will know about it.

In February 2019, Rodimer, of Stillwater, suffered traumatic brain injury when his truck veered off Route 206 in Andover Township and struck a tree. He died of his injuries about two months later at the age of 23. Savage, of Fredon, was driving his car in October 2017 in Green Township when it went off Shotwell Road and struck a tree. He died at the age of 25, five days after the crash.

Prior to their deaths, Rodimer, a 2014 Kittatinny Regional High School graduate, and Savage, a 2011 Newton High School alum, had expressed their wishes to donate their organs and tissue, so the families made sure those wishes came true.

Rodimer and Savage's decisions would end up being life-changing when their heart, liver and kidneys were donated to seven people, while their tissue improved the lives of dozens of others.

On Jan. 2, 2023, as television viewership alone typically nears 30 million, Rodimer and Savage will be honored among 42 other deceased donors at the 134th annual Tournament of Roses Parade, in Pasadena, California, which can draw a TV viewership of up to 30 million. Floragraphs — large portraits made with flowers, seeds and other organic products — of Rodimer and Savage will be emblazoned on a colorful flowing Chinese street dragon aboard the Donate Life parade float, which will weave its way down a 5 ½-mile strip along with a fanfare of performers, marching bands, equestrian teams and other floral-covered floats.

The Donate Life float has been part of the renowned parade since 2004, and this year's theme is "Lifting Each Other Up," an ode to donors and recipients supporting each other, according to Donate Life America, a nonprofit that works nationally to increase the number of available organ donations. Recipients and living donors will ride aboard and walk beside the float.

Savage's corneas gave two young men the ability to see and his donated tissue helped enhance the lives of 126 others. His donated heart went to Jim McLoughlin, of Spring Lake, according to a spokesperson for the Sharing Network, a nonprofit on the local level responsible for recovering donated organs and tissue. McLoughlin, his wife and two daughters attended on Dec. 5 when family completed the final touches on Savage's floragraph at the network's headquarters in New Providence.

"Every day I thank God and Joey for giving me the gift of life," McLoughlin said. "It is truly a miracle. As my children say, Joey is my guardian angel incarnated."

But Savage's donations didn't stop there. A year after his death, his mother, Heather Prutzman, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a cancer of the blood and bone marrow that required her to undergo surgery and a spinal fusion to stabilize her spine.

In what marked the first child-donor transfer to a parent-recipient for the New Jersey Sharing Network, who worked in tandem with MTF Biologics, Prutzman underwent a successful surgery — with doctors using two pieces of Savage's donated bones, which proved a perfect match.

Prutzman said it was her son's way of telling her, "Keep going mom, I got your back, you got this."

Rodimer's donated tissue helped out 16 people, 12 of whom were women with mastectomies needing skin to heal. His heart valves helped two people with genetic disorders.

His floragraph, sponsored by Smith-McCracken Funeral Home in Newton, was completed during a ceremony on Dec. 2 at Hudson Farm Club in Hopatcong, where Rodimer was employed.

Rodimer's mother, Lorie Rodimer, said she was "humbled" her son was chosen to be part of the float this year with other organ donor heroes.

"Being an advocate with the New Jersey Sharing Network for saving lives through organ donation has become my personal mission," she said. "Tyler’s legacy will be remembered because of the beautiful gift of life he gave others.”

Family and friends of Savage and Rodimer honored the men's legacies and have helped raised funds for the Sharing Network through various means, including their involvement in the organization's 5K, held in May in New Providence and in June in Long Branch. "Team JSAVV33," which refers to Savage's football jersey number 33 at Newton High School, garnered more than $2,200 for the nonprofit in 2022 alone while Tyler Rodimer's team "Tyler's Tight Lines" raised more than $13,000. A short video of Rodimer's family's involvement in the 5K was posted by the organization on their YouTube channel.

Rodimer's team name paid homage to his greatest passion, fly fishing, where the term "tight lines" refers to a wish of fishermen for good luck. An avid outdoorsman, Rodimer's grandfather taught him the art of fly fishing and Rodimer later learned how to tie his own flies. He enjoyed spending time with friends, who he taught fly fishing, and always remarked that he could be found "on the river or in the woods," where he also loved to bow hunt, his family said.

He had a dry sense of humor, loved playing roller hockey and was an avid snowboarder. An Eagle Scout, Rodimer graduated with honors from East Stroudsburg University with a degree in criminal justice and had plans to find a career outdoors.

A "big guy with a big heart," family recalled, Rodimer was known for his infectious smile and big bear hugs.

Savage, whose interests and personality aligned with Rodimer's, was also passionate about hunting and fishing. He enjoyed playing basketball, snowboarding and snowmobiling and and attended music concerts. He also enjoyed the beach, boating and jet skiing. He was a union laborer in New York City.

"Joey was always full of life and energy," Savage's mother, Heather, recalled. "Everyone simply loved to be around him because he cared for others and had a joyful, larger than life personality."

The men's families have been invited to attend the parade in Pasadena.

The Rose Parade, which will be televised beginning at 11 a.m. EST on NBC, will precede the 109th Rose Bowl football game, which kicks off at 5 p.m. EST and will pit No. 8 Utah against No. 11 Penn State. Former Arizona Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, a gun violence survivor and prevention advocate, will serve as the grand marshal.

The parade will also honor two other New Jersey residents: Hailey Palumbo, 15, of Jackson Township, who in May 2017 suffered fatal injuries in a car accident and whose heart, lungs, liver and kidneys were transplanted into five critically ill people, and Harleen (Leena) Sandhu, of East Windsor, a two-time kidney transplant recipient who will ride the float.

The New Jersey Sharing Network received 233 donations in 2021, an all-time high for a single year, and over 42,000 eye and tissues donations. There are more than 105,000 Americans awaiting life-saving transplants, including nearly 2,700 in New Jersey, according to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network website.

One organ and tissue donor can save eight lives and enhance the lives of at least 75 others. Those wishing to register as an organ and tissue donor can do so through the NJ Sharing Network website or the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission.

Lori Comstock can be reached on Twitter: @LoriComstockNJH, on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/LoriComstockNJH or by phone: 973-383-1194.

This article originally appeared on New Jersey Herald: Sussex County NJ men will be honored at Rose Parade for organ donation