Peter Allen Tornquist

It was with great sadness that I tell you that Peter Allen Tornquist passed away on Sunday, March 19, 2023 at age 83. He was a man of honesty and kindness and the bonds he shared with all that loved him can never be replaced.

Peter (or Pete) was born in Caribou Maine in 1939 to Harold Theodore Tornquist and Vella Faye Merritt. Pete grew up with one brother Theodore (or Ted) in Caribou. He, and his brother “Ted” suffered the loss of their mother when they were very young.

Pete was a tremendous athlete. He was the starting point guard for his high school basketball team that won a regional championship. A great shortstop, he was also in minor league baseball and played in the Boston Red Sox farm system. He loved playing all sports!

Pete joined the army in 1959. He was trained as a microwave technician, was first stationed in White Sands New Mexico, and was then sent to West Germany to work on point-to-point communication sites. It was there he met his first wife “Trudy”. Pete and Trudy moved back to the United States when Pete was stationed at Camp Roberts.

After he left the army, he went to look for work in Los Angeles. While driving south to Los Angeles, Trudy and Pete were stunned with the beauty of Santa Barbara. They spent a couple of days in a hotel and Pete applied for a job at Raytheon. He was offered a job the next day. Pete worked at Raytheon for many years, and he also worked at worked at Delco.

Pete absolutely loved golf! He played golf into his early 80s and for the last several years he played in the Delco league.

Pete spent the next 50+ years in Santa Barbara. Pete was later married to Janice Tillotson who he had been married to for over 35 years. Jan passed away 2 years ago. He is survived by his children (Mike, Michelle, and Heidi), his stepchildren (Chris and Rick) and his nephew Kurt and sister-in-law Cynthia, his grandchildren Nicole and Candice and his great grandchild Tennyson.

A memorial service for Pete will be held at El Montecito Presbyterian Church at 2pm on May 13th, 2023 in Montecito California (near Santa Barbara).
It is with the heaviest of hearts that we say to you that you will be missed Peter Tornquist! We love you.