William Leon Tygret

The world lost a great man on April 8, 2021: a member of the Greatest Generation, a WWII Veteran who served his country and loved his family. William L. “Bill” Tygret was born in Fairfield, Iowa on October 26, 1925. Bill was the youngest of two sons of Roy and Velma (Welsh) Tygret.

Bill lived in Fairfield until adulthood, attending primary through High School in the rural Iowa town. It is here that Midwest values of family and integrity were instilled, values Bill carried throughout his life.

While jobs took Bill and his family to different places around the country, he was a steadfast and forever Iowan. He was a proud University of Iowa alumni, and the Hawkeye emblem was prominent in the Tygret home and wardrobe. For this Seattle area resident, “Go Hawks” had dual meaning!

When the US entered WWII, Bill was not old enough to enlist for military duty. While he begged his mother to sign to let him enlist before he was 18, she was not willing to do so. As soon as he was legally able, Bill enlisted to serve in the war. He felt it was his duty to do so, despite the odds of never coming home. One of his greatest accomplishments was being recruited to the Advanced Specialized Training Program (ASTP), an achievement based on his mathematical intellect. Bill was proud to have earned the Rank of Sergeant at the age of 19. As a member of the 292nd Field Artillery Observation Unit, Bill fought in the Battle of the Bulge and helped liberate Dachau Concentration Camp. Bill was a proud Veteran of “The Big War”.

At the end of the war, Bill enrolled at the University of Iowa under the GI Bill. HIs academic career led him to Industrial Design. Buildings still stand in Iowa that he was involved in designing during the 1950’s and 1960’s.

It was through friends at the University of Iowa where Bill met his wife, Helen. They were married on June 21, 1952 at Trinity Cathedral in Davenport Iowa.

Bill later entered into the construction field with his good friend Bob Strub’s company Component Homes. He went on to work for the Weyerhaeuser Company, in jobs that took him and the family to several states. Moves took the Tygrets from Iowa to Ohio, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and eventually to the Seattle area. In Seattle Bill joined another good friend, Rod Jones, as they launched The Paneling Place store in 1978.

As times changed (goodbye, paneling!), Bill worked in Construction Management in the Seattle area for many years until retirement. Bill volunteered his construction talents with Habitat for Humanity, an organization he believed in and supported for life.

Bill and Helen both retired and moved to Lake Stevens in 2005 where they became members of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Snohomish.

Bill is survived by his wife of 69 years, Helen (Hurning) Tygret, his children Rick and Pam Tygret, Mark and Marsha Tygret, Ann (Tygret) and David McCrea. He is also survived by his six grandchildren: Will Tygret, Andrew McCrea, John Tygret, Meg McCrea, Jeff Gus and Andy Chambers. He is survived also by great-grandchildren Zoey and Jensen Gus, and Landon, Fisher, Scarlett and Emmy Chambers with another great-grandchild due in 2021.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents and his brother James Morris “Jim” Tygret.

His life on this earth has come to an end, but his legacy lives on. His greatest wish was to live to see his grandchildren reach adulthood, and he did. Each one of them held a special place in his heart, and he expressed pride in each and every child, grandchild and great-grandchild.

If you knew Bill, you knew his deep and enduring love of his wife and family. You knew his intellect and wit. You knew kindness was his prevailing trait. You knew he was generous to a fault. You knew he was techy and a gadget guru long before the technology revolution. You knew he wanted no fanfare or attention. You knew he not only saw the best in everyone, but encouraged each to follow their passions and talents. You knew he forged long and meaningful friendships his entire life. If you knew Bill Tygret, you knew a remarkable man who didn’t often profess his faith in God, but lived and strived to be like Jesus every day of his life.

A memorial service for Bill will take place on Saturday, August 7th at 2:00pm at St. John’s Episcopal Church at 913 2nd Street, Snohomish, Washington. Reception to follow service. All who knew Bill (or the family) are welcome to attend. He will be laid to rest by his family in the Memorial Garden at St. John’s. Please, no gifts or flowers. Memorial donations in Bill’s name can be made to Habitat for Humanity at www.habitat.org