Silas Thompson Tygart

Silas Thompson (“Tom”) Tygart, Jr. was a dedicated husband, loving and supportive father, grandfather and great-grandfather, passed away peacefully on November 18, 2023 in his home in Jacksonville, Florida. Son of the late Silas Thompson Tygart, Sr. and Lois Grace Pedicord Tygart, he was born May 17,1941 in Atlanta, Georgia. A lifelong resident of Jacksonville, Tom grew up in the Southside Methodist Church and graduated from The Bolles School in 1958.

While at Bolles, Tom was on the swim team and football team where his most memorable play was picking up a fumble and running it back for a touchdown to win the game. “Moose, I’m glad you never listened in practice especially when we said just fall on a fumble, don’t try to pick it up and run,” his coach memorably said. Tom served for over 20 years on the Board of Trustees at The Bolles School, frequently attending football games and performing arts events for the past 60 years. Bolles continued to remain an important part of his life as he proudly watched his three children and two of his grandchildren graduate from Bolles with two granddaughters attending Bolles today.

Tom did his undergraduate work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he obtained a degree in Economics, graduating in 1958. While at UNC, Tom was on the swim team and a member of Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity. He continued his life of service by serving on the UNC General Alumni Association and the UNC Board for the College of Arts and Sciences. Once again proudly looking on as his legacy continued, with two of his children and two of his grandchildren becoming proud Tar Heels! He also faithfully followed UNC athletic teams celebrating their achievements and was thrilled in his final week to be able to watch his last football game as the Heels beat Dook on the gridiron in double overtime.

Tom subsequently obtained his law degree from the University of Florida in 1965. Following graduation, Tom came back to his hometown of Jacksonville to begin his long and fruitful legal career. He started off as a prosecutor at the Duval County State Attorney’s Office where he met, the love of his life, Judy Soud Tygart, who was working there as a legal secretary. They were married in 1968 and had three children, Tyler, Travis and Lindsay, all three of whom would follow in their father’s footsteps by graduating from law school. As a Board-Certified Trial Lawyer and Mediator, Tom spent the majority of his legal career in the courtroom trying and defending over 120 personal injury cases as the Managing Partner of Tygart & Schuler P.A., exceptionally defending Allstate Insurance Company and hundreds of individual clients over the years.

As a young man, “Tommy” enjoyed lifeguarding and coaching swim lessons at the Florida Yacht Club where he influenced and positively impacted the lives of many young Jacksonville residents. While his successful legal career overshadowed his short coaching stint, he would, jokingly, never let you forget that he coached a 1968 Olympic gold medal winning swimmer from Jacksonville.

Tom enjoyed running and trained and completed five marathons in his lifetime, including the NYC marathon twice. For years, Tom enjoyed playing lunchtime handball and racquetball at the Riverside YMCA with his fellow friends in the Florida bar. An avid reader and traveler, Tom and Judy enjoyed traveling with friends and UNC on many educational trips and journeys around the world.

In the words of close friends, Tom was a “lion of a man” who for over eight years, valiantly fought an extremely rare and potent form of cancer. He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Judy, son, Tyler Tygart, and his wife, Amanda, and his two grandchildren, Austin Tygart and Brittany Tygart, and her husband Logan Miller, and his two great grandsons Everett and Emmett Miller, all of Jacksonville, Florida. He is also survived by his son, Travis, and his wife, Nichole, and his grandchildren, Mackie Tate, JT and Tommy Tygart, of Colorado Springs, Colorado. As well, he is survived by his only daughter, Circuit Court Judge, Lindsay Tygart, and her husband Fraz Ahmed and his granddaughters, Salem and Silas Ahmed, also of Jacksonville, Florida. He is also survived by his brother, retired Circuit Court Judge, Fred Tygart, and his wife, Susan, of Jacksonville, Florida.

A memorial service for Tom will be held on Tuesday, November 28 at 2:00 PM at their church, Aspire Church San Marco,1435 Atlantic Boulevard, Jacksonville, FL 32207, followed by a reception at the church at 3:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.