Walter Torrence

Walter Torrence Born in East Liverpool, Ohio in October, 1930, David Walter Torrence Junior died at the age of 84 on Tuesday evening, October 14, 2014, surrounded by his loving family in Burns, Oregon. A family of 9 children, born to parents, Myrtle May and David Walter Torrence, Walter grew up under difficult circumstances. As the 8th child, he often spoke of having to wear the tattered clothing handed down to him with two left shoes and socks for gloves resulting in being teased and bullied by his peers. His mother was left to raise the children by herself which made her a larger than life heroine in their eyes. Walt's sister, Bonnie (Bonivere) recalled their mother would take them to be baptized twice a month in order to eat the meals offered by the church afterwards. Despite the difficult financial aspects of his childhood, Walt had many fond memories swimming at the "The Tubs" in Fredericktown during the summers. To this day, you'll find Walt's and his brother's initials clearly carved on their favorite rock. His first job was at Potter's Lumber Mill in Ohio, where grumpy Mr. Miller (Bonnie's father-in-law) became a significant mentor. This is where Walt honed his skills as a craftsman in construction. There, he also gained his confidence and recognition as a talented carpenter always whistling while he worked. Those around Walt were able to see his talents bloom and he gained a very good reputation as a carpenter and was well respected. As a child, he was small and no one suspected that he would grow taller, stronger and more confident with big beautiful iron hands to build his future. His favorite book was "Power of the Will," which basically became the mantra for the rest of his life. You might say it was his trademark. Walt began a great adventure in the 1950s by moving out to California in search of his own pot of gold. He joined his brother Billie (The Buckshot Kid), who was working as a structural engineer and ironworker at Vandenberg Air Force Base. The brothers became indispensable building such things as missile silos and bridges. Their brother Richard and Walt's son, David, joined the team and they were a proud bunch. Walt met Jeannine Grace in the early 1960s and soon married afterwards. Together they had two daughters, Pattea and Toni. Walt's son, David and Jeannine's son, Del, joined them and Walt's daughter, Pamela, stayed behind in Ohio. Against the advice of his father-in-law, Robert Bhreme, Walt made a bold move and sold everything he had to purchase 10 acres in Los Berros, Calif., with the most gorgeous views. His daughter, Toni, affectionately named it "Morning Star Acres." The children spent many summer hours building little towns in the sand banks, cleaning bricks, washing dishes in an outdoor tub and having fun with their horses and huge pet pig, Mortimer Snerd. With the help of his son, David, they built the first home Walt designed on the property and named it "La Mancha" (a Windmill). Walt's Brother Richard said, "He (Walt) first would build them in his dreams." Then the vision became an obsession and nothing could pull Walt away from building his dreams. He built "Dragonwyck Castle," "Desire Under the Elms" (written by Eugene O'Neil) a carbon copy of a play set he helped to build with his dear friend Donovan Marley. Walt built many more unique homes and even a beautiful sailing yacht. He found his "Pot of Gold" in the satisfaction of creating a unique and wonderful reputation as a talented carpenter making his family and friends back in Ohio very proud. Walt was a lover of the arts that included theatre, literature, architecture and singing. He was a very dedicated patron of PCPA and the Solvang Theatre Fest and contributed his talents designing sets and occasionally participating as a cast member. He was especially gifted at throwing the best cast parties! Walt was larger than life known for his eagle-eye with a photographic memory, yet also had a glorious voice. He serenaded his family nightly while soaking in one of the side-by-side tubs he designed overlooking his kingdom, while reclining inside Dragonwyck Castle after a long hard day of building. Our very own Don Quixote, Walt was also an avid horseman often fighting windmills. Some say he was a Kenny Rogers look-a-like. He was known for his quick wit, and all the ladies adored him. He had a big heart to a fault. He was generous, kind and honest. His son-in-law, Jeff, said it perfectly, "If the sky were the limit he would shoot for the stars" - and he did. Walt was able to lend his talented hands and inspiration to Pattea with her work on the Old Edna Townsite. Sadly that time was cut short due to a form of dementia he developed called Lewy Bodies. Friends and family were heartbroken to see his determination to "save his legs" by watching him walking for miles instead of resting. As with everything else, he did things his way and no one could deter him. Farewell Walter, "Pa-Pa," "the Duke," you were the light of our lives. As you often said to all of us in the end, "Eternity." Walter is survived by son, David and daughters, Pattea and Toni including 6 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren. Walt's brothers and sister are as follows in order of their births from 1917-1933: Hermann, Beulah, Warren, Norman, Bonivere, Billie, Richard, Walter Junior, and Bob. A very special thank you to David, whose gentle heart took care of Walt during his final days. Sign his guestbook at sanluisobispo.com/obituaries