Peter Aiken “Pete” Nygaard, 81, passed away peacefully May 30, 2025. He was born Sept. 4, 1943, in New London to the late Lee and Doris (Haight) Nygaard.
Pete, at the age of 17, entered into the United States Army and trained mainly as a sharpshooter while stationed in Germany. There he earned his GED and experienced many adventures. One accident in particular almost got him into serious trouble when he accidentally fell asleep in transport and ended up in Czechoslovakia during its communist era.
Pete was united in marriage to Carol Thompson on July 6, 1991, in Gillett. He went on to work at numerous places such as the construction team that worked on the demolition of the freeways in Milwaukee, and cut and deconstructed ships in Green Bay. Pete also owned the Irishman’s Shanty in Mosling. His longest career, however, was school bus driving for over 30 years for numerous companies like Smith’s and Lamers.
When he wasn’t working, he volunteered for the Underhill Fire Department, helped start the Underhill smelt fry and sponsored many softball teams. He deeply loved his community and was proud to be a Freemason and a member of the American Legion Post #300.
He was known for being a jack of all trades and could fix anything he could get his hands on. His storytelling was unmatched, and he was always willing to hear about the local gossip. Pete spent his free time playing cards and drinking Sun Drop. His son will always remember their weekends participating in the races, which had started in 1999 and continued into adulthood.
Pete is survived by his wife of 34 years, Carol; his children, Traci (Scott Paris) Nygaard, Carl (Kathy) Huff and Brandon (Rose) Nygaard; his grandchildren, Tristan Huff, Annabella Huff, Maverick Nygaard and Astrid Nygaard; his sister, Becky (Ben) Ling; his former wife, Betty DeKelver. He is further survived by numerous nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Lee and Doris; his son, Todd Robert; his brother, Robert Nygaard.
A Masonic memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. Friday, June 6, 2025, at the Shawano Masonic Lodge with military honors to be conducted by American Legion Post 300. The gathering will begin at 1 p.m. until the time of service. Burial will be held at a later date at Wanderers Rest Cemetery in Gillett.
www.swedbergfuneralhome.com
Peter Aiken ‘Pete’ Nygaard
