Theodore Earl Walgren was born 24 August, 1924, in Ronald, Washington, to parents Carl Eric Walgren and Lucy Ermin Goodale. Ted grew up in Fertile, Minnesota on the family farm of his grandparents Clark and Anna Goodale.
Growing up on the farm Ted liked to ride the draft horse, spend time with his beloved dog, and downhill ski. He was always at the top of his class, revered as a bright and intelligent boy. He liked to write poems and was always good for a speech. At the age of 16, Ted started working for the Fertile Journal. The war was in full swing, and the able bodied men were drafted, so Ted worked in their place after school and on weekends. He made $3 a week making the local newspaper, one fold at a time on a steam powered press.
Ted enlisted into the United States Navy in 1943, assigned to SV V-6 Naval Air Technical Training Center, Aviation Metalsmith School in Norman, Oklahoma. After initial training, he was stationed in Boston, Massachusetts, being selected for the V-12 program, a specialty assignment that would send Ted to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Ted told anyone who asked that this group of men was such a specialty unit, that after the war was won, it was kept on “Active Reserve” for another 13 years before discharge. The military stated that that people with this level of intelligence and training were hard to replace.
In the 1950s Ted moved to Vashon and purchased property off of Gorsuch road. He worked at the Vashon Island News-Record and was an editor in 1957 and 1958. In 1972, Ted co-founded Mayfair Press in Seattle. He sold Mayfair Press in 1989 and attempted to retire. But shortly thereafter he returned to work at McKay’s Printing. He attempted to retire again in 1994, but in 2001 he became the property manager for Charter House and JG Commons, were he was lovingly referred to as “Grandpa Ted” by all the residents. Finally he retired in 2014 at the age of 90.
Ted was an active member of the community. He volunteered for several years with the VFW, placing and hanging flags and printing up certificates. He worked at the voting booths on election day. He like to spend his free time golfing, hosting the breakfast club, spending time at the Vashon Senior Center and, of course, working in his garden. His berry patch was his pride and joy.
He was preceded in death by his wife Grace Morris Walgren, his wife Margaret Medine Hineman Walgren, his wife Clarice Curfman Hjorten Walgren, and his son Stephen Walgren. He is survived by his son Scott Walgren and granddaughter Stephanie, and his siblings LaVerna Kilian, Phillip Narverud, Ethel Glenn and their families. He is also survived by the many family members he gained in marriage from the Hineman and Hjorten families, which he lovingly treated as his own.
He was a loving son, husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and friend to all.
A celebration of Ted’s life will be held at The Vashon Funeral Home September 15th at 11am. In lieu of flowers, donations to Vashon Senior Center will be greatly appreciated.
