Loren Postma

1944 - 2025

Loren Postma was born July 8th, 1944, to Herb and Gwen Postma in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. The family spent Loren's early years moving around in support of Herb's Navy career, residing in Wisconsin, Idaho, and Spokane before settling in Kirkland, WA. Loren attended King's High school where Gwen was a teacher. He graduated in 1962 and enrolled at the University of Washington to study music. He spent the next few years studying and working in restaurants before he joined the Navy in 1966.

Loren spent four and a half years in the Navy as a Machinist Mate on destroyers, giving him the chance to see the world and inspiring a lifelong love for Asian cuisine.

Shortly before enlisting, Loren married his first wife. While Loren was deployed, the couple welcomed their first child, John, in 1966, followed by James in 1969.

After Loren left the Navy, the couple moved their family to Everett, WA, where Loren started his career at the City of Everett. He would spend 38 years there working in various roles.

Loren met his second wife in 1980 while working at the City. They were married shortly after and welcomed their son, Matthew, in 1986 and their daughter, Mollie, in 1991.

No matter what phase of life Loren was in, music was a constant passion for him, especially his beloved dobro. Loren grew up around bluegrass music, learning guitar and piano early on from his mother. He started playing dobro as a teen, inspired by the classic bluegrass musicians of the time. When he joined the Navy, he brought his first dobro aboard ship and found community with several other sailors he played with regularly.

Throughout the years, he was a mainstay at local bluegrass festivals and jams, played in many bands, and travelled to numerous music camps to learn from the best. If you've ever attended a bluegrass festival in the PNW, you likely heard Loren's dobro echoing somewhere in the crowd.

After retiring from the City in 2009, Loren dove even more into his hobbies, spending his days supporting his growing family, playing even more music, or chatting with fellow HAMs around the world on his radio.

Loren passed away on October 9th, 2025, after a short battle with cancer. He is survived by his four children, John (Amber), James (Andrea), Matthew (Jessica), Mollie, and his five grandchildren, Allie, William, Jacob, Hawk, and Sammy.

Special thanks to Western Washington Medical Group, The Swedish Cancer Institute, Evergreen Hospice and Holistic Adult Family Home for providing exceptional care to Loren in the past year. We greatly appreciate all the support.

A Celebration of Loren's Life will be held at 2pm on November 8th, 2025 at the Maltby Community Club in Snohomish (8711 206th St SE, Snohomish, WA 98296).