William J. Tyrrell, 70, the former president and CEO of Shopko discount stores, died Tuesday, March 7, of liver cancer at his home in Naples, Fla. Mr. Tyrrell, a Chicago native, began working at the age of 11 to help support his family after his father died, said his wife, Kay. He attended DePaul and Loyola Universities for several semesters before beginning his career at Walgreens in the 1950s. Mr. Tyrrell was president of the Steinway Ford-Hopkins discount stores before being named president and CEO of Shopko in 1972, around the same time he and his first wife, the late Mildred, moved to Green Bay. When Mr. Tyrrell first joined the company, it operated 11 stores and had revenues of $8 million. When he retired in 1991, there were more than 100 stores and had revenues of $2 billion, his wife said. Mr. Tyrrell moved to Naples about a year ago. “He had such great leadership abilities. He started with so little and was able to do so much,” Kay Tyrrell said. Mr. Tyrrell was named Man of the Year by B’nai B’rith in 1981 and was named as Discounter of the Year by Discount Store Merchandiser in 1989. He also served on the board of directors for the Green Bay Packers, University Bank and International Mass Retailing. Other survivors include five daughters, Mary Beth Cahill, Patricia Ann DeBonville, Tamara Ann Kratowicz, Kari Crowley and Kristin Crowley; two sons, William Tyrrell and Eric Crowley; a brother, Leonard; and 16 grandchildren. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday in Cotter Funeral Home, 860 N. Webster Ave., De Pere, Wis. Visitation will continue at 9 a.m. Saturday in Resurrection Catholic Church, 333 Hilltop Drive, Allouez, Wis., where mass will be said at 11 a.m.
