Cover photo for Ward "Tim" Torkelson's Obituary
Ward "Tim" Torkelson Profile Photo
1954 Ward 2022

Ward "Tim" Torkelson

July 6, 1954 — June 17, 2022

Ward “Tim” Torkelson passed away on June 17, 2022. The youngest of five brothers and born in Toledo, Ohio on July 6, 1954, his older brother took one look at him when he was brought home from the hospital and said, “He doesn’t look like a “Ward”, he looks like a “Timmy.” The nickname stuck to the son of Thomas Edward Torkelson and Edna Sutton of Northwest Ohio. Raised in the small town of Monclova, Ohio, Tim attended Anthony Wayne High School. His life changed forever when he met the love of his life, Marcia Doriot, of Maumee, Ohio, at the local hang-out place McDonald's. They were married in 1974 and have been inseparable ever since.

Tim was a born salesman, never met a stranger, and was known for his big smile and outgoing personality. He spent the 80s and early 90s doing sales in Toledo; when the company he worked for closed unexpectedly, he and Marcia moved to the Indianapolis area, where they started their own small home improvement company throughout the mid-nineties to early aughts.

But Tim’s achievement about which he was most proud and put most of his time and energy into was his family. Having never attended college himself, he always pushed education and was so proud when his two children, Tom and Brooke, became first-generation college graduates. Brooke Sheppard, her husband Max, and their two children, Sam and Emma, live in Round Rock, Texas. His son, Tom Torkelson, and his wife, Dr. Nina Lee Torkelson, reside in Weslaco, Texas, with their three school-aged grandchildren, Lincoln, Liam, and Gwendolyn.

As the grandchildren became the central focus of Tim and Marcia’s life, they moved to Weslaco from Indiana in 2016 and quickly established themselves as members of the community. Since moving to the Rio Grande Valley, they’ve enjoyed busy lives as career-minded grandparents, always prioritizing their grandchildren’s dance, music, sporting, acting, and performing practices and performances. Many afternoons were spent taxiing grandchildren from school to extracurricular activities and stops along the way. The natural conversation along the way will remain priceless to Tim’s grandchildren. His advice was always encouraging, positive, and welcome.

Sunday nights were traditionally reserved for elaborate, yet casual dinners with family and whatever friends happened to stop by. The grandkids would put in their food and dinner requests days in advance and were very rarely disappointed. Dinners were preceded and followed by games, pull-up contests (where he bested his grandsons and inspired them to practice harder), musical performances, telling great stories, and lots of laughing. During Covid, Tim could usually be found on Monday nights at Santa Fe steakhouse enjoying the live music of his eldest grandson, Lincoln.

High energy, active, and in great spirits, the last week of his life happened at the annual Torkelson family reunion on South Padre Island—smoking ribs, fishing on the bay, playing on the beach, and enjoying his ever-growing family. His passing was unexpected and quite sudden, but when it came, fortune shined upon him as his family was present; the Sheppards of Round Rock, the Torkelsons of Weslaco, and the Dutys (Matt, Wendy, Finn, and Mullen) of Houston, Texas.

The hospital community of Valley Baptist in Harlingen, especially the Family Residency Program under the leadership of the incomparable Dr. Bruce Leibert, were of enormous comfort and guidance as they led the family in prayer, praise music, and hard decisions in those final hours before his death on June 17, 2022, the birthday of his one-and-only daughter, Brooke. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the irreplaceable Valley Symphony Orchestra, https://valleyorchestra.org/donate/ , the organization founded by Tim’s son, IDEA McAllen College Prep Athletics, or Calvary Christian School https://www.calvarywarriors.org/ . Contributions can also be made at https://portal.icheckgateway.com/McCalebFuneralHome/Default.aspx
Please enter Tim in the memo.

Dear family friends, the McCalebs of McCaleb funeral home in Weslaco are handling arrangements, set for Tuesday evening 3-8 pm, with a celebration of life at 6:30 pm.

Tim is preceded in death by his parents, Thomas E. and Edna (Sutton) Torkelson, and brothers, Donald Durr and Randall Torkelson.

He is survived by his loving wife of nearly fifty years, Marcia, son, Tom Torkelson (Nina) of Weslaco, daughter, Brooke Sheppard (Max) of Austin area, grandchildren, Lincoln, Liam, and Gwendolyn Torkelson, Sam and Emma Sheppard, brothers, Marshall Torkelson, T. Michael Torkelson, brothers in law, James Doriot and Greg Turner (Sue), nieces and nephews, Wendi Duty (Matt), Traci Tobin, Ray’el Cohen (Rotem), Andrew Torkelson, Michelle Torkelson, David Doriot (Angela), Megan Doriot, Brandon Dorriot, Holly Bazemore (Rob), and Nicolas Turner.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Ward "Tim" Torkelson, please visit our flower store.

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Tuesday, June 21, 2022

3:00 - 8:00 pm (Central time)

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