Wayne Thorpe

Wayne Thorpe passed away peacefully on December 4th, 2022, at the age of 83, at a memory care residence in Salinas, CA. He had been struggling with dementia for about three years and had moved to Salinas from Chicago in 2020 at the start of the Covid pandemic to be near his daughters.

Wayne was born April 18th, 1939, in Chicago, IL to Lillian (Milarski) and Lawrence Thorpe. Lillian’s parents were from Poland, and Lawrence was from Norway. During his lifetime, Wayne greatly enjoyed diving into and preserving his heritage, which included fun family trips to Norway.

ayne was the youngest of five children, but he quickly became a “son” of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. In 1946, when Wayne was seven, he came to spend the summer in Marquette with his aunt and uncle, Helen and Louie Vincent. She had a restaurant in Marquette across from Shiras Park and Louie had a boat building business. Four years later, they sold their businesses, and she became head of the Huron Mountain Club kitchen, and he became head of the boat shop. From those earliest years, Wayne developed lifelong friendships with many of the club members and staff. While Wayne participated in many of the children’s program activities, under noted woodsman Fred Rydholm, he also served as a “cabin boy”, doing a variety of jobs, including rowing around members of the club. With his keen memory and masterful storytelling ability, Wayne was able for years to bring those early days at the club to life like no one else.

Eventually he went to school in Big Bay and Chicago, where he attended Austin High School, graduating in 1956 and excelling as a swimmer. He joined the US Navy in 1957 and was stationed in Monterey, CA at the Fleet Numerical Weather Center, where he was a computer programmer providing near real time weather information to the fleet at sea worldwide. He also taught computers at the Navy Postgraduate School in Monterey at a time when computers were a new thing. During his time in the military, he used his leave to come back to the club as much as he was able. In 1963, after he left the Navy, Wayne stayed in Monterey and continued working as a civilian at Fleet Numerical Weather Center, with additional teaching positions at the Navy PG School and Monterey Peninsula College.

In 1994, he was hired as manager of the Huron Mountain Club, having spent so many years there in his youth. He served as club manager for 6 years, retiring in 2000.

In May of 2005, he was called back to the Club to serve as Acting Manager for 9 months, while the Club was conducting a search for that position.

Former club board member Peter Dykema said, “Wayne had a wholistic understanding of the social history and fabric of the club, he understood the importance of the forest, and on nights when it was dry and there were lightning strikes, he would sit at Pine Lake watching for possible fires; he understood that the staff was the life of the club, so it was important that they were happy. In the most positive way, he was the anchor, a sensitive and accomplished caretaker of everything and everyone.” As Gary Wilcox, then head of the club garage said, “We really appreciated Wayne Thorpe as manager. And we were really happy when he came back to be manager a second time.” HMC member Anne Culley Wise said, “he always went above and beyond in his usual calming and unflappable manner, helping dress up the club in preparation for a large wedding, including personally rowing the newlyweds away to their honeymoon cabin under a sky of fireworks.”

In 2006, Wayne was tapped by the board of the Huron Mountain Wildlife Foundation to become facilities manager, in charge of operations at their Ives Lake Research Center, where scientists come from around the country each summer to study the pristine woodlands, waterways, flora and fauna of the Upper Peninsula. Board president Henry Dykema said, “Wayne used his outstanding skills to organize, upgrade, and improve the research facilities. His strong interpersonal communication skills and devotion enhanced friendships with the researchers and the foundation supporters and strengthened the foundation’s research program.”

Wayne served in that position for 12 years, retiring in 2018, during which time he made a lasting mark on the foundation. To memorialize his hard work and loving care, one of the main buildings called the Red House was officially renamed Thorpe House.

Retired in Chicago, Wayne enjoyed many projects and was fiercely loyal to his friends. In August of 2000, friend Kathleen Scutchfield, founder of the Until There’s A Cure Foundation, called him with an urgent need, when her executive director left on short notice. Until There’s A Cure is a national organization dedicated to eradicating HIV/AIDS by raising awareness and funds to combat this pandemic. Kathleen related, “I called him up and explained the situation and asked if he would be willing to come out to California and help us out. Without hesitation he said, ‘I’m on my way!’, even though he really had no idea what we, as an AIDS organization did. He grabbed the reins, and steered the organization in the right direction, managing the employees and volunteers. He jumped in with both feet, managed the San Mateo office, transitioned us to the Woodside office, and helped us break in and train the new Executive Director. He stepped seamlessly into the position and stayed until the situation was resolved in April 2001, when he went back to Chicago. A person or business could not have a truer friend!”

Wayne is survived by daughters- Laura Southerland (Brian) of Monterey, CA, and Janelle Lowry (Frank), of Gilroy, CA, granddaughter- Emily Meyer (David) of Rancho Cordova, CA, and grandsons- Kyle Lowry of Sacramento, and Hayden and Jax Southerland of Monterey.

He is predeceased by his parents, aunts- Helen Vincent (Louie) and Ruth Jessen, his sisters- June Skultedy (Tony) of Simi Valley, CA, Lorraine Finn of Westchester (Chicago), IL, Shirley Thorpe, and brother- Lawrence Thorpe.

No services are planned, but his ashes will be brought by the family to his beloved Huron Mountain Club, where he long wanted to return.