Michael Torline

1959 - 2025

Many people will remember Mike for his great love of animals. As a child growing up on his family's farm in Spearville, Mike would rescue any creature that needed help. He once nursed a turkey vulture with a broken wing back to health, and he "rescued" many snakes, the most memorable of which being the one that he placed around his neck while he chased his siblings around the front yard as they tried to put on a lemonade stand. Mike even once designed a homemade incubator to hatch baby ducklings. The incubator generally worked, though on one occasion, Mike had to resort to convincing his Grandma to buy ducklings from the store so that he could tell his mother he hatched them himself. Perhaps Mike's most notorious catch was a wild pig, which he found in the Arkansas river while canoeing. Mike brought the pig home, where he built it a house in the backyard and fed it a steady diet of graham crackers and milk.

To no one's surprise, Mike decided to become a veterinarian, and he dedicated his professional life to serving animals and their families in Willingboro, New Jersey. After graduating from Spearville High School in 1978, Mike earned Biology and Chemistry degrees from Benedictine College in 1982 and then received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Kansas State University in 1987. He joined the Willingboro Veterinary Clinic in 1990, where he served for 35 years and eventually became a co-owner. His coworkers and staff at the clinic became a second family. Mike would tease and joke with them and the families of his patients. And anyone who observed him work could see that he had a special way with the animals and that he was beloved by many people who entrusted him with the care of their dear pets. He was kind, gentle, and compassionate as he walked through joyous and sorrowful occasions with the families and animals he served. His work was a lifelong vocation, and he loved it.

Outside his work at the clinic, Mike dedicated much of his personal time to caring for his own pets, who provided him with many years of companionship. At some point after graduating from veterinary school, Mike adopted an African Gray parrot, whose antics used to scare his sister when she came to visit. But his real companions were his dogs. Over the years he raised 8 dogs: PJ, Dawn, Dylan, Josh, Cody, Trapper, Shane, and, most recently, Bryce, who will be adopted by Mike's niece, Gabby.

In addition to being a skilled veterinarian, Mike was also a gifted craftsman. When his first niece and nephew were born in 1994, Mike was determined to bring the new babies the very best Christmas gifts. He flew from Philadelphia to Kansas City with two large (nearly adult-sized), solid wood rocking horses, both of which he made by hand and personalized with the babies' names. For other occasions, he gifted his family members a variety of his handmade creations, such as cuckoo clocks, chess sets, and intricate crosses. His largest and most ambitious project was the restoration of his beautiful Victorian home.

Mike cultivated an incredible garden behind that home. He grew many vegetables, but he was most proud of his tomato crop. Many of his friends, family, and patients were recipients of that crop and, if they were lucky, Mike would share his famous tomato pie or tomato sauce recipe with them.

Mike loved to cook for his family and friends. He hosted elaborate Christmas dinners for many neighbors and friends each year, and he could put the event together on a day's notice. He also took over as head chef at many a Thanksgiving feast back home in Spearville once his mother became unable to handle the brunt of the cooking. He tolerated sous chefs-his unskilled nieces and nephews, and his unskilled sister, Anne-but his word was king in the kitchen. And for good reason-he was an excellent cook.

Although Mike will certainly be remembered as a man who loved animals, woodworking, gardening, and cooking, he will be remembered most fondly as a man who loved his friends and family and was greatly loved by them in return. He was committed to attending every Thanksgiving he could on his family's farm, a favorite occasion to relentlessly tease his nieces, nephews, and Anne. He last visited home just three months before his passing when he traveled to Spearville for the annual dove hunt.

Mike was preceded in death by his mother, Mary Patricia (Coppersmith) Torline. He leaves behind his father, Glenn Torline; his brothers, Terry (Gretchen) Torline, Paul (Karen) Torline, and Steve (Michelle) Torline; his sister, Anne Torline; his nephews and nieces, Blake (Lucy) Torline, Hanna (Tim) Bradley, Maddie (Austin) Rose, Gabby Torline, Jack (Mel) Torline, Kathryn Torline, Sam Torline, Danica Torline, John Glenn Torline, and Frances Torline; and seven grand-nieces and nephews. He will be missed dearly.

Relatives, friends, and colleagues from Willingboro Veterinary Clinic are invited to gather on Saturday, December 13, 2025, at Burns Funeral Home, 1514 Woodbourne Rd., Levittown, PA, from 9:30–10:45 a.m., followed by a Memorial Service at 11:00 a.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will take place at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church and interment at St. John Cemetery in Spearville, KS at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions to the Burlington County Animal Shelter, 35 Academy Drive, Westampton, NJ 08060, would be deeply appreciated.