Thomas Bruce Torgerson

Thomas B. Torgerson, 79, of Spicer, died Saturday evening, April 30, at his home in Spicer. Funeral services will be 11:00 A.M. Friday, May 6, at Vinje Lutheran Church in Willmar. Burial will be at Cloverleaf Memorial Park Cemetery in Willmar. Visitation will be 5:00-7:00 P.M. Thursday, May 5, at Peterson Brothers Funeral Home in Willmar and an hour prior to the service at the church. A reception will be held at the church following the service. The family requests that any memorials be directed to Vinje Lutheran Church, 1101 Willmar Avenue Southwest, Willmar, Minnesota 56201. Tom Torgerson was born to Mary and Ray “R.E.� Torgerson at Rice Memorial Hospital in Willmar, Minnesota. He became active in the outdoors at an early age, hunting and fishing with R.E. and older brother Bob. He also shared R.E.’s love for horses. He was active in Boy Scouts and became an Eagle Scout. He graduated from Willmar Senior High School in 1949 and enrolled at the University of Minnesota where he obtained a bachelors degree in Business. He pledged Beta Theta Pi Fraternity and became the house treasurer. He met Carol Suzanne ‘Suzie� Thomson of Minneapolis, also a student at the U of M and they wed following Tom’s graduation. Tom fulfilled his military commitment following college, serving two years in the United States Army and was stationed briefly at Fort Sill in Lawton, Oklahoma. He served from 1956 to 1958 before discharging as a 2nd Lieutenant. Tom and Suzie moved back to Willmar where he joined his father’s firm, R.E Torgerson Clothing Co. He eventually bought out his brother Bob’s interest following his father’s death, acquiring sole ownership of the stores in Willmar and Montevideo. He would later add locations including a men’s store in Hutchinson, C. Suzanne’s in Willmar and another men’s and women’s store in the Kandi Mall, Torge’s. With friends, Tom chartered Citizen’s National Bank in Willmar. Together with Kelly Forstrom, they opened a second Citizens National Bank in Lake Lillian, Minnesota. With the development of Holiday Inns in Willmar & Fairmont, Minnesota, selling his clothing stores to Gildner’s of Mason City, Iowa and acquiring Forstrom’s interest in the Holiday Inn of Willmar, Torgerson transitioned the 2nd generation company from being largely a retail clothier to a hospitality company. As his son, Tom, became involved in the company, Torgerson later developed additional hotels and restaurants before the company transferred to third generation heirs and exists today as Torgerson Properties, Inc. Tom was an outdoor enthusiast all his life, enjoying both hunting and fishing. He enjoyed numerous safaris to Africa and excursions to South America. He enjoyed big game hunting throughout the western United States taking trophies from southern Arizona to points north of the Arctic Circle, registering big game trophies with Boone and Crockett as well as Safari Clubs International. He became involved in tournament deep-sea fishing on the Sea of Cortez where he maintained a home in San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico. Baptized and confirmed in Vinje Lutheran Church, Tom would later become involved on the church building committee leading to the church breaking ground and building at its current location. Tom and his wife, Sue, became active in breeding and showing purebred Arabian horses, competing in regional and national shows in the US & Canada. At its peak, Torgersons Arabian Horse Farm topped 30 head. Torgerson was involved in the Willmar Chamber of Commerce during the height of his retail clothing career. He was later an avid supporter and contributor to the Friends of Western Art when he lived primarily in Tucson. He was a charter board member of St. Gregory College Preparatory School in Tucson from which his youngest son, Daniel, later graduated. He was also very involved in the Minnesota Retail Merchants Association. Torgerson was philanthropically inclined and his giving included charitable contributions to various interests including an Emergency room at Rice Memorial Hospital in Willmar as well as donations to Fairmont Community Hospital and The Mayo Clinic. Tom was preceded in death by his mother and father, R.E. and Mary Torgerson and brother Robert Torgerson. He is survived by 5 children and their families, Lynn and Tom Johnson of Spicer, Tom Torgerson and Mari Beam of Spicer, Dan and Heather Torgerson of Shorewood, Dave and Sara Torgerson of Plymouth and Fatima Torgerson Urias of San Carlos, Sonora Mexico. He has twelve grandchildren: Chris Johnson, Bob Johnson, Mike Johnson, Jackie Johnson, Sarah Torgerson, Laura Torgerson, Davis Torgerson, Grace Torgerson, Marit Torgerson, Briana Torgerson, Bryce Torgerson and Ashlee Beam.