Obituary Details

Walter "Happy" S. Tyrrel

(04/06/1888 - 09/26/1975)
Courtesy of The Lusk Herald, 10/02/1975

Funeral service was held Sunday for Walter S. "Happy" Tyrrel, 87, who died September 26. The service was held in the Peet Chapel at 2:00 p.m. with the Rev. Robert Boutwell, Lusk Congregational Church, officiating. Mrs. Judson P. Watson, organist, accompanied Mark Lohr as he sang "Beyond the Sunset" and "Going Down the Valley."

Honorary pallbearers were Boynton Alter, Roy Turnbull, Jim Shane, Ed Lang, Frank Podolak, Floyd Simon, Floyd McLain, Stanley Hoy and Ray McIver. Casketbearers were Bing Barr, Jim Harris, Martin Brozovich, Ted Jones, Jerry Sturman, and Ronald Podolak. Burial was in the Lusk Cemetery.

Memorials to Nursing Home, Cancer Fund or Niobrara Memorial Hospital equipment fund have been established.

Walter S. Tyrrel was born April 6, 1888, in Madison County, Neb., the son of Samuel P. and Louisa (Stevenson) Tyrrel. He attended the Madison schools and the Norfork Business College. He took a short course at the University of Nebraska.

In 1914 he married Josephine Wehenkel, also of Madison, and they bought and moved to a ranch near Wood Lake, Neb. They were the parents of a son, Eugene A. They moved to northern Goshen County, Wyo., in 1920, where Mr. Tyrrel served on the school board of District No. 6 for 21 years; was chairman of the Royal Valley Community for about 15 years through the 1920s and early '30s; held office in the Rawhide Buttes Telephone Co. and was treasurer of the Niobrara Farm Bureau at one time. Mrs. Tyrrel died in April 1948.

October of 1949 Mr. Tyrrel married Jane Patterson of Wheatland. They continued to live on the ranch until 1973 when they moved to Lusk. Mr. Tyrrel was active in community affairs until failing health compelled him to give it up.

He is survived by his widow Jane, his son Eugene Tyrrel and wife Mildred of Lusk; a grandson Claude Tyrrel and wife Bonny of Worland, three granddaughters, Mrs. Jimmy (Carmen) Shane of Node, Mrs. Kenneth ((Karen) Gaukel, Keeline, and Mrs. Terry (Susan) Severson, Rochester, Minn.; and seven great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his first wife, his parents, two brothers and a sister.

Relatives from out-of-town attending the funeral were Mr. and Mrs. Claude Tyrrel and sons, Worland; Mr. and Mrs. Terry Severson, Rochester, Minn.; Mrs. Sophia Fraser, Pine Bluffs; Mrs. Harold Gallinger, Lander; Mrs. Marvin Haiman, Yoder; Robert Fraser, Golden, Colo.; Bill Fraser and daughter, Bruce Fraser, Gillette; Mr. and Mrs. Bert Kreitman, Verle Greitman, Bassett, Neb.; Mr. and Mrs. Orval Myers, Vern Dinkel, Hay Springs, Neb.; Mr. and Mrs. Tom Elson, Curtis, Neb.; Mrs. Richard Cramer, Cambridge, Neb.; Ord Anstey, Harrison.

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Related/Linked Records

Record Type Name
Obituary Tyrrel, Eugene (07/29/1916 - 03/07/1993) View Record
Obituary Tyrrel, Mildred (03/01/1914 - 09/10/2004) View Record
Obituary Tyrrel, Jane (09/09/1901 - 06/20/2004) View Record
Obituary Tyrrel, Frances (04/09/1965 - 04/09/1965) View Record
Obituary Tyrrel, Christeen (04/09/1965 - 04/17/1965) View Record
Obituary Tyrrel, Josephine (05/17/1888 - 04/22/1948) View Record
Historical Niobrara County Library History, part 1 by Muriel Dalgarno View Record
Historical Niobrara County Library History, part 3 by Jane Tyrrel View Record
Historical Tyrrel Ranch History View Record
Historical Tyrrel, Walter S. and Family View Record