Thoren Family History & Genealogy

Gordon was my best friend in high school. I lost touch with him after I went to college and he joined the navy. He was an adventurous, good natured young man, full of life and high spirits. Naturally intelligent, but rather undisciplined, he was intent on enjoying life to the fullest. His dream in school was to become a navy diver. As a boy, his father - who was divorced from his mother - had taken him diving in Florida. It was, as he recalled, the most beautiful thing he had ever experienced. After joining the navy, however, he found he could not qualify for the seals. While physically strong and quite robust, his eye sight was poor - which automatically disqualified him.He became a sonar operator instead, choosing that over the relatively elite path of becoming a submariner. He preferred, I suppose, skimming over the deeps rather then becoming submerged. ------------------- {Added by Bill Powers} I went through Navy Sonar A school with Gordy in 1981 at Fleet ASW Base in San Diego. He was indeed a hard charger and lived to party. We served together again in 1984 on the USS Reasoner (FF-1063) and Gordy introduced me to scuba diving by encouraging me to take lessons at one of our longer port calls in Subic Bay, Philippines. It affected me positively in much the same way it did, Gordy... perhaps moreso. (To this day (2019) I'm a scuba instructor and run the largest scuba non-profit on the West Coast.) We had many fun adventures during that Western-Pacific cruise. We managed to stay in touch throughout the 80s, both in San Diego and in NY. I'd visit him at his Mom's house and he'd come up to my parent's house in Orange County, NY. After we were both out of the Navy (I can't remember how or why he got out), in the early 90s, I had occasion to see him again. Something had changed in his personality. Although he was always off-beat, he was acting like a "down-and-outer". Don't know how else to explain it. I believe he married a Russian gal... who he confided to me was "doing him wrong". /// I know at some point he was a bike messenger and tried his hand at stand-up comedy, but he simply wasn't funny and much too self-aware. Still in the early 90s, we fell out of touch and I always regretted it. He seemed on a path of decline and I think my own sense of self-preservation warned me not to get too involved in his problems. I read of his famous mother's passing in 2017 (photographer Virgina Thoren) and that inspired me to do a search for Gordy. I hope he found some measure of happiness before his untimely passing. He is missed. -Bill Powers -------------------------- After he mustered out, he returned to New York and tried various odd jobs without settling down on a single career. Fortunately, he and his mother - who ran photography studio - owned a large town house near Bleeker Street. As the Village became more and more up scale, so too did their rental income. as Gordon told me years later, we're like the Beverley Hiillbillies, we struck gold in our own backyard. Looking after the house and his aging mother became Gordon's primary occupations. I spoke to him a couple of times on the phone before he passed away. The death of our high school judo instructor, Rusty Kanakogi - had hit affected him, and he reached out to me as a figure from his past life. It is my greatest regret that I was unable to meet him in person before he passed. To you, Gordie - may we meet again on strange and distant shoals in the next world! Thomas U. Berger Boston, October 23, 2014

Eileen Ann (Lindsey Thoren) Passerin was born on June 28, 1945 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania United States. She married Raymond Andrew Lindsey in 1963 in Bristol, Bucks County and they later divorced in 1979 in Newtown. They had children Raymond Thomas Lindsey, Jennifer Kelly Wimmer, Thomas Edward Lindsey, Barbara Marie Doering, Brian William Lindsey, and Sandra Eileen Lindsey. She would also marry Darrell Nicholas Passerin in 1988 in Palm Harbor, Pinellas County, Florida and they later divorced on May 29, 1991 in Palm Harbor. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Eileen Ann Passerin.

Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Howard M. Thoren.

Melville Thoren of Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois was born on May 25, 1900, and died at age 83 years old in June 1983.

Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Wayne K. Thoren.

Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Esther Stoltz Thoren.

Waldemar W Thoren of Gresham, Multnomah County, OR was born on September 29, 1909, and died at age 95 years old on November 10, 2004.

Raymond P Thoren of Plattsburgh, Clinton County, NY was born on September 15, 1934, and died at age 62 years old on June 23, 1997.

Paul Thoren of New Rochelle, Westchester County, NY was born on February 25, 1896, and died at age 71 years old in November 1967.

Olivia Thoren of Springfield, Sangamon County, Illinois was born on June 8, 1881, and died at age 85 years old in April 1967.

George Thoren of Chicago, Cook County, Illinois was born on October 27, 1891, and died at age 74 years old in November 1965.

Harold Thoren of Grundy County, Iowa United States was born circa 1918. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Harold Thoren.

Robert J Thoren of Hartford, Hartford County, CT was born on May 3, 1927, and died at age 80 years old on April 17, 2008.

Robert Thoren of Des Moines, Polk County, Iowa was born on November 29, 1928, and died at age 42 years old in August 1971.

Harry Thoren of Manchester, Hartford County, CT was born on June 4, 1908, and died at age 73 years old in April 1982.

Donald P Thoren of Leadville, Lake County, CO was born on July 5, 1939, and died at age 64 years old on June 3, 2004.

Roy C Thoren of Dover, Morris County, NJ was born on January 13, 1917, and died at age 87 years old on June 5, 2004.

Elaine Thoren of Orange, Franklin County, MA was born on October 2, 1930, and died at age 80 years old on November 9, 2010.

Carroll F Thoren of New Berlin, Waukesha County, WI was born on December 25, 1925, and died at age 72 years old on April 25, 1998.

Elizabeth Thoren of New York, New York County, NY was born on November 23, 1898, and died at age 77 years old in May 1976.