Gregory Ralph Sorlie

1949 - 2025

Gregory Ralph Sorlie

July 12, 1949 - July 6, 2025

Olympia, Washington - Greg Sorlie was born on July 12, 1949, in Pasadena, California, to Orval and Geraldine Sorlie. He grew up in Mountlake Terrace, near Edmonds, Washington, with his older sister, Sandy, and younger brother, Doug. Some of Greg's fondest memories came from summer camping trips with family, grandparents, and their loyal dog, Smokey swimming and exploring state and national parks that inspired his lifelong love of the outdoors.

A high achiever from an early age, Greg earned his Eagle Scout rank at 14, joined the National Honor Society, and made the Dean's List throughout school. He graduated from Edmonds High School in 1967, then earned degrees in Geology and Anthropology from Western Washington University in 1971.

During college, he spent summers working as a geologist for Standard Oil on Alaska's North Slope, identifying rock samples to gain hands-on experience and fund his education. After graduation, he moved to San Francisco with his college sweetheart, Verneil Haag, whom he married in 1971. Together they had two children, Jennifer and Nicholas, the joy of his life.

After two years in the corporate world, Greg made a bold move: he quit his job, bought a VW camper van, and set off on a six-month road trip across the U.S. and Mexico. When the journey ended back in Edmonds spirit full, wallet empty Greg found his calling. He took a job as an Environmentalist I at the Washington State Department of Ecology in Olympia, launching a meaningful 30-year career.

At Ecology, Greg rose through the ranks to become a program manager, earning multiple promotions and the Governor's Distinguished Management Leadership Award three times. He forged lifelong friendships, discovered a love for mountaineering and backpacking, ran marathons, and thanks to friend Pat Lee became a proud Deadhead, attending nearly 100 Grateful Dead and jam band concerts.

Following his divorce from Verneil, Greg found true love and partnership with Gale Blomstrom. They married in Bhutan in 2008 and shared a life of extraordinary travel and connection visiting over 70 countries, trekking the Alps, Himalayas, Andes, and Patagonia, exploring national parks, and going on 100+ backpacking trips with friends, family, and the beloved "Icicle Brotherhood."

Greg will be remembered as a force of nature - genuine, confident, kind, friendly, and deeply thoughtful. He loved people and prioritized connection. Organized to a fault, he relished to-do lists, calendars, and planning his next adventure.

In October 2023, Greg was diagnosed with prostate cancer the same disease that once affected his father. Though he faced it with courage and resolve, it spread aggressively to his spine, lungs, legs, and brain.

In January 2024, during a bioluminescent snorkeling excursion in Puerto Rico, Greg experienced unimaginable loss when Gale died in a tragic accident. It was the most devastating chapter of his life, but with the support of loved ones, he found strength, honoring her memory by continuing to live with gratitude and curiosity.

Greg passed away in July 2025, surrounded by love and supported every step of the way by his daughter and close friends.

His life was rich in meaning and experience defined by love, laughter, exploration, and enduring friendships. He leaves behind his children, Jennifer and Nicholas; his brother, Doug; his sister, Sandy; and a community of people who will carry his memory on every trail, dinner party, concert, and heartfelt conversation to come.