Peter A. Thiessen (Pat), of Mercer Island, died in Maple Valley on March 23, 2009. He was 82 years old.

Mr. Thiessen was born on Sept. 30, 1926 in Kalamazoo, Mich., the son of Peter and Mary Thiessen. He was raised in Parchment, Mich., and graduated from high school there. He served with the United States Army from 1944 to 1948 as a rifleman, MP and literacy-reading instructor. Upon leaving the military, Mr. Thiessen enrolled at Western Michigan University, during which time he earned a Bachelor of Arts. He always said that he took the degree in art rather than science because it required two years of a foreign language.

He met and married his wife, Helen, in 1950.

Mr. Thiessen taught mathematics at Parchment High School before driving to Seattle for a job in engineering with the Boeing Company. He updated his skills and began computer programming, eventually working in the computer programming field for Boeing. Mr. Thiessen retired from the Boeing Company in 1992 and continued his passion for computer programming.

Mr. Thiessen is survived by his wife, Helen; daughters, Patricia and Deborah; brother, Robert; and three grandchildren. A private committal will be held at Tahoma National Cemetery. Arrangements are by Flintofts Funeral Home and Crematory.