Thursday, October 1, 2026
Gary Gene Tressel passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on August 2, 2026. He went to meet his maker with peace in his heart, as he always desired. For nearly 94 years, he lived an active, full, and energetic life, belying his age to the very end. Gary was born on December 28, 1932, in Los Angeles, California, to Helen Tietjen and Gerhart Tressel.
Gary graduated high school in Grass Valley in 1951. He enlisted in the Air Force and was stationed in Great Falls, Montana, where he began taking night classes at The College of Great Falls, and graduated with a teaching degree focusing on math and science. There he met and fell in love with his wife, Ange Kary.
Gary’s lifelong love of learning naturally drew him to roles as a teacher, a mentor, and a friend to anyone whose path he crossed. After teaching in Philipsburg, Montana (where he left a bit of his heart for its Big Sky Country and fly fishing), he moved with Ange and their two daughters to Burien for a position at Highline High School.
He subsequently taught at Mt. Rainier and Kennedy High Schools and night classes at Highline Community College. In 1968, blessed with five additional daughters, Gary moved to the newly opened Kentridge High School, where he taught math until his retirement. Over the course of his career, he gifted many students with his bright and logical mind, demonstrating great skill, dedication, and patience in the classroom.
In 1978, he and Ange built a home on their Kent East Hill 5-acre property and moved the family there. After reluctantly selling “the land,” they moved to Edmonds in 2003. Gary attended Community Christian Fellowship where he made many friends and continued his spiritual journey.
From early in life, Gary had a deep reverence for the land and soil, farming, nature, and the bounty of this earth. He was an organic gardener before it was in vogue, and it brought him great joy to see his enthusiasm for gardening carried on by his daughters. An early three-digit member of REI, he also passed on a love for hiking and the great outdoors.
Gary is survived and loved by Ange, his wife of 69 years; his younger brother Ronald Tressel; his seven daughters (Maureen, Colleen, Ruth, Christine, Deborah, Kathleen, Jennifer), grandchildren; and great grandchildren. Gary is deeply missed by many, and we will forever remain connected with him in our hearts.
