William Patrick "Bill" Tynan

William Patrick “Bill” Tynan, 82, passed on March 4, 2025, in Lubbock, Texas. A devoted husband, father, veteran, historian, and lifelong advocate for the South Plains community, Bill lived a life of service and integrity. Known for his quick wit, warmth, storytelling, and encyclopedic sports trivia knowledge, he will be deeply missed.

Born on July 27, 1942, in Brooklyn, New York, Bill was the eldest son of Irish immigrants Isabel and Patrick Tynan. He grew up in Bedford Hills, NY and graduated from St. Mary’s High School in Somers, NY, before joining the ROTC and earning a degree in History and English from Siena College in Loudonville, NY.

Bill was commissioned as a U.S. Army officer in 1966. He served a year in Vietnam as an advisor to the 5th ARVN Division. He later commanded an Air Defense Artillery battery in Okinawa, Japan, and worked on the committee to return Okinawa to Japan. While stationed at Fort Bliss, in El Paso, Texas, Bill met Mary Alice “Lolly” Brown. Smitten, he famously called every Brown in the El Paso phone book to find Lolly. Fortunately, her grandmother had already heard about the charming Captain, she reunited the two, he proposed and in less than 7 months, Lolly followed Bill to Okinawa, where they were married on February 6, 1971. After leaving active duty in 1972, Bill returned to El Paso and took a position with the Chamber of Commerce, where he connected veterans to jobs and served as a Communications Manager and Editor of El Paso Today magazine.

In 1973, Bill was recruited to Reese Air Force Base to manage the media surrounding the Crown Prince of Iran’s flight training in Lubbock. He loved his work and the South Plain community and stayed with Reese for over 20 years. Ultimately, Bill was promoted to Chief of Public Affairs. His department earned national recognition and their work was consistently praised as the best in the U.S. Air Force. If you grew up in the South Plains you may have played in the Reese AFB Christmas Classic high school basketball tournament, attended one of the 20 air shows, or marvelled at the Air Force flyover preceding Texas Tech home football games that Bill and his team produced. After Reese’s closure, Bill became the Chief of Media Relations and Internal Information at Randolph AFB in San Antonio, TX before retiring from civil service and returning to Lubbock in 1999.

Bill was a dedicated community member involved with many organizations. Among his proudest accomplishments was the founding of the Lubbock Emergency Communication District, which established 9-1-1 service for the Lubbock area. He served on the LECD Board of Managers from 1986 to 2019, ensuring residents had access to life-saving emergency services.

He was also a founding board member of the Vietnam Archive at Texas Tech University and active in the American Red Cross.

A lifelong sports enthusiast, Bill supported Texas Tech Athletics, wrote for Red Raider Sports Magazine and covered Texas Tech sports for the Associated Press. After retirement, he worked for the Southwest Collection as a Sports and Oral Historian, interviewing prominent athletes and coaches from the Southwest Conference, Texas 6-Man Football, the College Baseball Hall of Fame, West Texas Historical Society, and many other initiatives.

Bill’s other great joy was his family. Married 54 years to Mary Alice, he was a proud father to Patricia and Brendan, and a loving grandfather to Sloane and Siobhan.

Bill was preceded by parents, Isabel and Patrick, and brother Desmond. He is survived by spouse Mary Alice, daughter Patricia (Kevin), son Brendan (Rodazon), granddaughters Sloane and Siobhan, brother Gerald (Susie), sister-in-law Trudy, and nephews Nathan and Walter Tynan.