Linda Tyrrell

LINDA JEAN TYRRELL

August 15, 1948 – January 13, 2025

Linda Tyrrell (76 years old), a lifelong advocate for animals, passed away peacefully, on Monday, January 13th, surrounded by family members (both human and canine) in her Hilton Head Sun City (SC) home in accordance with her wishes.

Linda was born on August 15th, 1948, in Rapid City, South Dakota to William C. Tyrrell and Donna McManus Tyrrell. Linda’s father was a career Army officer, and the family lived in many places during her childhood, including Alaska, Missouri, Northern Virginia, California, South Dakota, and Germany. She graduated from Frankfurt American High School in Frankfurt, Germany in 1966.

Linda spent much of her life working to protect and defend the rights of animals and many saw her as an angel put on this earth to watch over animals.

Her jobs included Kennel Manager for the Animal Welfare League of Arlington, VA, Cruelty Investigator, Kennel Manager and Shelter Manager for the Washington Humane Society/DC Animal Control, and the Director of Operations for the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), a nonprofit organization that works to prevent animal abuse and promote their ethical treatment.

Dubbed the PETA “Florence Nightingale” for animals, Linda was sent on numerous assignments for emergency animal-related situations in post-Katrina New Orleans, San Antonio (TX), Portsmouth (VA), Bertie County (NC), Chester (SC), Washington, DC and Puerto Rico. Linda developed and initiated implementation of turn-around plans for five animal shelters in crisis.

Concerned about the well-being of ‘outdoor’ dogs, Linda developed and oversaw the Dog House program to provide and personally distribute heavy-duty, custom-built dog houses and straw to chained dogs, on nights and weekends, some of them 100 miles away.

Linda’s co-workers described her as ‘the most-feared person’ at PETA, with her business-first, no-nonsense demeanor based on her years of running Animal Control in Washington, DC.  She managed the PETA Operations department like a ‘well-tuned military outfit.’ Although small in stature, she was known for her ability to face down much larger, angry people in defense of a vulnerable animal. Despite her reputation, her co-workers knew that she had a heart of gold and a delightful sense of humor.

In 2008, Linda moved to Bluffton, SC. Soon afterwards, she began working at Kroger. She loved her job there and the many friendly relationships she developed with her colleagues and managers.

Linda was also known for her Green Thumb and strong opinions on plant care. Her home was filled on the inside and out with beautiful, lush greenery and pops of color from the flowering plants.

Thank you, Linda, for your enormous heart and your drive to do everything better than we think it can be done. We miss you.

Linda loved and was deeply loved by her family. She is preceded in death by many beloved pets and her parents, Colonel William C. and Donna Tyrrell who are both buried at Arlington National Cemetery. She is survived by her much loved dog, Winter, as well as her sisters, Cindy Petitt (Bluffton, SC), Kate (John) Anderson (Austin, TX), brother Mike (Rose) Tyrrell (Springfield, VA), nieces Ashley Petitt (SC & Hawaii), Erin (Robert/Lucia) Anderson (Minneapolis, MN), nephew Jack Anderson (Austin, TX), former brother-in-law Jerry Petitt (Bluffton, SC), stepmother Ruth Peters Tyrrell (Atlanta, GA), stepsisters Karen Peters (Chicago, IL), Sandra Peters Vaughan (Atlanta, GA), stepbrother Michael (Sara) Peters (Belleville, WI), step-nieces Rachel (Wade/Ruth/Walker) Larson (Belmont, WI), Lauren and Marie Vaughan (Atlanta, GA), step-nephew SSgt John Peters (Oceanside, CA), as well as Leheka, Stone and McManus relatives.

A memorial service for Linda will be held on Saturday, January 25th at Sauls Funeral Home, 90 Simmonsville Road, Bluffton, SC 29910. Visitation will begin at 11 am followed by a service and story sharing at 12.

Donations may be given to the Warrior Dog Foundation - https://warriordogfoundation.org/ or the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals - https://www.peta.org/.

PETA
Web: https://www.peta.org/

Warrior Dog Foundation
Web: https://warriordogfoundation.org/