William T. Hyry

HOLYOKE, Mass. - William T. Hyry passed away peacefully at home at age 85 on July 16, 2024, at the Providence Place at Ingleside retirement community in Holyoke, Massachusetts.

Bill was born on June 2, 1939, in Negaunee, Michigan, to William Axel Hyry and Rose "Elvi" Hyry. He grew up in the Eagle Mills neighborhood of Negaunee within a community of Finnish immigrants. He was a strong student; excelled in football, basketball and baseball; and played trombone in the school band. He was a starting guard for the Negaunee Miners high school basketball team, which won the Class B State Championship in 1957, an accomplishment that brought him local fame in Negaunee for the rest of his life.

He attended Michigan Tech University for two years before transferring to Northern Michigan University, where he received a B.S. in Secondary Education–Mathematics in 1961. He later received a master's degree in education from the University of Michigan and a specialist in education degree from Central Michigan University. He led a distinguished career as a mathematics teacher, coach and school administrator in the state of Michigan, including several teaching and administration roles in the Detroit area (1961-1971), serving as the principal of Ironwood High School (1971-1981), superintendent of the Ironwood Area School District (1981-1989), and superintendent of the N.I.C.E. school district based in Ishpeming Township (1989-1994). After retiring from the N.I.C.E. district, he spent a decade consulting with local school districts in the Upper Peninsula through an appointment in the education department at Northern Michigan University. Bill was a champion for public education who believed vehemently in the ability of education to improve the lives of individuals, families, communities, and society at large. Aside from his formal educational roles, he engaged in significant community service activities throughout his life, advocating for school integration in the Detroit area in the 1960s and serving on many volunteer boards and committees as an educational leader in the Upper Peninsula. Bill held leadership positions in the Church of the Transfiguration in Ironwood and Grace Episcopal Church in Ishpeming and represented the Diocese of Northern Michigan at the General Convention of the Episcopal Church.

Bill married his high school sweetheart, Caryl Sundine, in 1963 and together they raised three sons: Michael, a financial analyst in Fort Worth, Texas, married to Molly Hyry; Paul Hyry-Dermith, an educator and advocate for children's mental health in Holyoke, Massachusetts, married to Dalila Hyry-Dermith; and Tom, a librarian and archivist in Arlington, Massachusetts, married to Jennifer Weintraub. He was a beloved father to his sons and grandfather to his seven grandchildren and their spouses: Jose Balfour, Jacob (Rachel Boschen) Balfour, William (Joanna) Warren Hyry, Catherine (Gil) Donohue, Elizabeth Hyry, Ruth Hyry-Weintraub and Helen Hyry-Weintraub. Uncle Billy was also beloved by his seven nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; his sister, Elizabeth Ahola; and brother, Phillip Hyry.

Bill had many passions. He loved sports and coached both basketball and hockey, and was an avid and lifelong fan of the Green Bay Packers. He loved music and taught his family many offbeat songs that are remembered to this day; he could often be heard singing to himself when lost in thought. He was an excellent cook and, along with Caryl, loved to host family and friends for dinner parties. He excelled as a card player in multiple games, including solitaire, cribbage, smear, pinochle and poker, among others.

For the last decade, Bill and Caryl relocated to western Massachusetts to be closer to two of their children and grandchildren. During that time Bill served as a member of the Community Accountability Board of the Hampden County Sheriff's Department, a group that facilitated restorative justice, and from January 2020 until his death, he was a vibrant and beloved member of the Providence Place retirement community.

Bill was known and loved for his deadpan sense of humor, and even more for his deep respect for those with whom he crossed paths throughout his life. He is deeply loved and missed.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, August 10, at 11 a.m. at Al Quaal Lodge in Ishpeming, Michigan.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Great Lakes Talking Books, Superiorland Library Collective, 1615 Presque Isle Avenue, Marquette, MI 49855.