Perry Lorentzen

Perry Lorentzen, 92, passed away on Saturday, November 24, 2018 in Santa Barbara. He was born in Scranton, Iowa, in 1926; the fifth son of Ed and Dora Lorentzen, and had a younger sister. He is survived by his two children, Allen Lorentzen and Anne Murphy, and his grandchildren, Alison Lorentzen and Evan Murphy, predeceased by his wife Patricia, whom he married in 1954.

Perry was called to active duty in 1945 and his military career took him through a tour of duty in Japan. He was discharged with the rank of sergeant in 1947. In 1954 he graduated from State University of Iowa and married Patricia. They started out on a series of field assignments in Electrical Engineering for Perry which took them to Anchorage, England, Belgium, Long Island, and finally settling in California in 1961. After retirement they moved to Santa Barbara in 1992. They moved to the Heritage House Assisted Living Community in 2010.

Over the years Perry and Patricia were active in the American Institute of Wine and Food, the Santa Barbara Genealogical Society, and were active volunteers and docents for many years at Amtrak and the South Coast Railroad Museum in Goleta. They were avid jazz buffs and attended hundreds of performances over the years, through their membership in the Central Coast Jazz Society, of Pismo Beach.

If desired, donations may be made in Perry’s name to the South Coast Railroad Museum, 300 Los Carneros Rd, Goleta, CA 93117 (goletadepot.org).