Earl Webb Torgeson

Earl was born on December 4, 1941 on the Navy base in Bremerton, WA. He was a life-long resident of Snohomish growing up in the Swans Trail area with his parents Evelyn and Melvin, and his older sister Judy. They went to the local schoolhouse across from the Swan's Trail Chapel where they attended church.

He was an adventurous child who loved the great outdoors. He loved fishing, hunting and sports. As a teenager, he also loved classic cars.

One night he drove to Monroe on a "hunch" and ended up meeting Patricia Lightle through mutual friends and that was the beginning of Earl and Patti's story which lasted over 50 years.

Earl graduated from Snohomish High School in 1960 exceling in high school baseball. Baseball ran in the family, as his Uncle Earl played in the major leagues from 1947 to 1961, retiring from the notable 1961 Yankees. At 17, Earl attended the 1959 World Series between the LA Dodgers and Chicago White Sox, the team his uncle played for.

Earl and Patti married in 1961 and had 3 children. He was a wonderful family man. They were married 49 years until Patti passed away in 2010.

He had a strong work ethic all of his life. He worked at Simpson Lee Paper Mill from 1960 to 1972 when the mill closed. 1972 was a tough year, losing a job and both parents. He then worked for Snohomish County Public Works from 1973 to 2003, and retired as a backhoe crew chief.

Earl enjoyed retirement but still kept busy. He was always generous, made time for others and looked forward to special occasions. He cherished these events up to his passing, understanding their profound meaning in our lives.

He looked forward to his annual fishing and hunting trips, especially the campfires at night with our life-long friends, the Miller family. He enjoyed fishing the local rivers and Neah Bay.

Earl always had a goofy sense of humor. He enjoyed the old comedy shows or telling a comical story. He also loved classic "oldies" songs, especially country music. His favorite singer was Willie Nelson and had the opportunity to see him in concert. He also had a sweet tooth, with a love for anything chocolate, whether See's Candies, Snicker's bars or Stacy's chocolate chip cookies. Coffee was a staple.

In 2014, Earl met Nancy Cameron while going on daily walks whom he later married in 2017. They enjoyed working in the yard, watching old movies and listening to music. They also loved visiting Ocean Shores with Earl's daughter Stacy and son-in-law Scott with their fur babies.

Earl was a loving devoted husband, brother, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and friend. He was a well-respected man of his word, humble yet entertaining, with always an interesting story to tell.

Earl is very sadly missed, leaving us with broken hearts, but he also leaves us the inspiration in being the best you can be as a human being. Snohomish lost a great man in Earl. We lost our “rock”.

Earl is survived by his wife of 7 years, Nancy Cameron Torgeson, his sister, Judy Torgeson Willis, and his 3 children, Tami Torgeson, Ryan Torgeson, and Stacy Torgeson Lingle, and son-in-law Scott Lingle. He also leaves behind his 5 grandchildren, Trevor, Toren, and Tad Pedersen, and Taylor and Ryan Torgeson Jr. And, he leaves his great grandkids (twins), Magnus and Eva. Earl also loved his grandpups, Butters, Maya, Tilly and Peppy.

Earl is preceded in death by his wife Patricia in 2010, parents Evelyn Webb Torgeson and Melvin Torgeson both passing in 1972, his grandson Tanner Pedersen passing in 1997, brother-in-law Ronald Willis passing in 2014, and Pickles the Pug and Snoopy Cat passing in 2022.

A special thanks to the angel team of Bristol Hospice for all your help and support with caring for Earl.

Please join us for a celebration of life for Earl on January 25th from 1-4:00pm at "A Chapel on Swans Trail" 5419 64th St SE Snohomish, WA 98290 ***