- Date Of Birth: Aug 20, 1949
- Date Of Death: Oct 8, 2022
- State: Minnesota
Tyrone “Ty” Laugerman, 73, of Pine City, passed away at home with his family on October 8, 2022, after a courageous and determined 12-year battle with Machado-Joseph ataxia.
Tyrone Douglas Laugerman, was born on August 20, 1949, to Glen and Dolores (Johnson) Laugerman in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Ty spent childhood weekends helping his grandpa on the farm in Moose Lake, until Glen’s job with BNSF moved the family from Minnesota to Bethel Park, PA, and eventually to LaCrosse, WI, where Ty graduated from Logan High School in 1967.
Ty graduated with a first-class engineering license from Brown Institute and pursued a career in radio. He met Gail Grendahl in April of 1971; they married in September of 1973 and moved to Pine City, where they raised three children and where Ty worked for WCMP until 1988. His broadcasting career continued at WLOL out of Cambridge, with the Brainerd Bears minor league baseball team as the VP of Marketing in addition to continuing to broadcast, and KBEK out of Mora for 16 years, until his early retirement in 2010. Ty was the ultimate music and sports statistician: he could tell you how and when nearly any song charted on Billboard, as well as the key players in any local high school game from 1973 forward. Ty was passionate about radio and loved what he did for a living. He would start each and every broadcast: It’s a grand day in the great state and great day in the grandstand!
In addition to his love of music and sportscasting, Ty loved model trains, baseball cards, served as a hockey coach in both the 70’s and the 90’s, and played on golf, basketball, and bowling leagues. Ty completed 8 marathons and 15 half marathons, along with an enormous amount of 5k and 10k runs throughout his running career. He is fondly remembered for singing his children to sleep with old country/gospel songs, dashboard drums and keyboards, spoiling his grand dogs, and his perfect Donald Duck impression. Ty’s family was his life.
Ty is survived by his loving wife Gail Laugerman of Pine City; children Amanda Laugerman (Jeffrey Stenbom) of Apple Valley, Shelly Laugerman of San Diego, Trent Laugerman of Rosemount; grandson Lathan Stenbom; sister Suzette Forrer (Jim) of Princeton; brother Lonny Laugerman of Anoka; numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by infant brother Carey; father Glen; mother Dolores; brother Jeffrey. (His father, brother Jeffrey, and several other family members also succumbed to Machado-Joseph ataxia.)
