Tyrus Harmsen Obituary

HARMSEN, Tyrus George

Tyrus George Harmsen, 87, passed away peacefully on January 23, 2012, in Pasadena, CA. A devoted husband, father, and grandfather, Ty was deeply respected and loved by his family and friends.

Born in Pomona, CA, on July 24, 1924, to Fred H. Harmsen and Hazel Weigle, Ty was named for Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth by his father, an avid baseball fan. Following his World War II United States Army service in Western Europe from 1943-46, Ty earned B.A. and M.A. degrees from Stanford University (in 1947 and 1950, respectively) and a B.A. degree in library science from the University of Michigan (1948).

Ty brought a lifelong interest in book collecting to his work in the Manuscripts Department of the Henry E. Huntington Library from 1948-59 and his tenure as Occidental College's Head Librarian from 1959-86. He served as the Director of Occidental's Book Arts Program from 1986-91 and belonged to the Zamorano and Rounce & Coffin Clubs for printers and bibliophiles. Following his 1991 retirement, Ty cherished his time with family and friends, working on letterpress printing projects and summering in Falmouth, MA, on Cape Cod.

Ty is survived by his wife of 56 years, Lois Harmsen; his son, Mark S. Harmsen (both of Pasadena); his daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren, Caroline, Jim, Lora, and Muir McManus of Altadena, CA; and his brother and sister-in-law, Harlan and Dottie Harmsen of Balboa Island, CA.

Services will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 7, at
Pasadena Presbyterian Church, 585 E. Colorado Blvd. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Ty's memory may be made to the Huntington Library's Library Gift Fund or to Occidental College's Powell Endowment for the Book Arts.