Obituary of Timothy Alan Nygard

Timothy Alan Nygard was a kind, incredible man of God. He lived his short, impactful life filled with joy, loyalty and compassion. He passed away at the age of 40, surrounded by his beloved family and friends on the night of March 18, 2023, after a courageous three-year battle with colon cancer. From the moment he was diagnosed, until the moment he took his last breath, Tim fought a valiant fight, facing cancer with faith, endurance and bravery.

Tim was born on November 5, 1982 at Northwest Hospital in Seattle, WA to Gordon and Mary Nygard. He was welcomed and adored by his two older sisters, Kristi and Katie. From a young age, Tim was funny and joyful, was active and loved sports. He loved playing soccer, basketball and baseball and made many lifelong friends through his participation in youth sports in the Seattle area. Tim was an avid Seattle sports fan and loved going to Mariner, Seahawk and his beloved Sonic games with his dad. He attended Whitman Middle School and graduated from Ballard High School in 2001, where he enjoyed playing tennis, basketball and golf. Tim graduated from Seattle Pacific University in 2005 with a degree in finance. While in college he studied abroad in Europe, developing a love for travel and seeing new places. However, there was no place Tim loved more than his hometown of Seattle; he took great pride in being born and raised here and had a deep love for all that the Pacific Northwest had to offer. He loved hiking, the water, working at a fuel dock on Lake Union and spending his summers at his family summer home on Mercer Island. Tim was always surrounded by friends - he was extremely well-liked, witty, and welcoming of everyone. A true gift.

Tim met Alicia in 2008 and they married in October of 2010. They shared a deep love and were best friends, connecting through travel, faith, laughter, sports and their community. Together, they loved investing in others, deepening relationships, and making new friendships - their community has always, and continues to be, one of their greatest blessings. They were able to travel to Europe and Tanzania before having their first son, Beau Russell, in 2013. Two years later they welcomed their second son, Griffin James, in 2015 and then their daughter, Elle Cathrine, in 2018. Being a father came very naturally to Tim and his children were his absolute pride, joy and love. In return, Tim was his children’s world - they adore him and he is already so missed. He was a very silly, charismatic storyteller, a patient LEGO builder, a teacher of fishing and a solid golf swing, a lover of bike rides to the park and snuggling for a movie night. Tim enjoyed nothing more than to travel and explore with his family, throwing the ball with his kids, coaching sports teams whenever possible and taking his family to Seattle sports games. Alicia and their children were Tim’s top priority - he was a Godly leader, an empathetic listener and the most loving husband and father. He also deeply cherished his close relationships with his parents, sisters and their families, and he loved being Uncle Tim to his nine amazing nieces and nephews – a role he took great pride in. Tim was also close with all of his in-laws, a beloved member of their family. He was an avid golfer and would play, watch, and talk about the sport whenever he possibly could. He also loved Hawaii - he loved his parent’s condo, making memories with his whole family, the waves on the shore, pool time, the Kapalua Golf Course, Ululani’s Shave Ice, the turtles, and the gorgeous sunsets.

He began his career as an accountant at Bethany Community Church, and then held roles in finance and accounting for several other companies. In 2019, he got an amazing job as a senior financial analyst at Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission. He loved the work he did for UGM and was passionate and dedicated to their outreach and purpose - to meet others where they are and to teach them the love of Jesus through service and action. UGM was a constant supporter of Tim during his years of treatment and his team there became like family - one of Tim’s biggest blessings at the end of his life.

Faith played a vital role in who Tim was - he attended Bethany Community Church his entire life and was involved with Young Life, both as a student and then as an adult leader. He was a true light to many young students, someone who was trustworthy, dependable, and who shared God’s love through humor, fun and relationships. His trust and love of Jesus was evident in how fully he lived, and also throughout his courageous battle with cancer. Countless people met Tim during his treatment and were greatly moved by his calm and loving demeanor, his friendliness, and his ability to have hope and to see the good, in even the hardest situation. He would remember the name of every nurse, talk with hospital staff, was appreciative to all, and had lasting impacts on countless people in the oncology world. He wanted his story to be a testament of God’s love, no matter what.

He is survived by wife Alicia (Steinruck) Nygard, children Beau, Griffin and Elle, parents Gordon and Mary (Edwards) Nygard, sister Kristi (Bart) Brueck, sister Katie (Ryan) Kyler, his parents-in-law Jim and Dawn (Gilbertson) Steinruck, sister-in-law Brooke (Ryan) Lundquist, and brother-in-law Evan (Jess) Steinruck, his nieces and nephews Addison, Abigail and Andrew Brueck; Sean, Molly, Noah and Elin Kyler; and Delaney and Bailey Lundquist; as well as numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. Tim is profoundly missed by all of us and by all the lives he touched. He is preceded in death by his grandparents Al and Betty Edwards, Don and Ellie Nygard and his Aunt Virginia “Ginny” (Nygard) Wortman.

Tim’s memorial service will be held on Saturday, May 6th at 1pm at Bethany Community Church (8023 Green Lake Dr. N. Seattle, WA 98103). There will be a ceremony in the main sanctuary, followed by a reception.

In memory of Tim, donations may be made to his most loved organization - Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission. For more information on the Mission’s incredible work, please visit www.ugm.org.