Obituary of Harold Martin Thorsrud

Harold M. Thorsrud passed away at the age of 94 and led a long, colorful and rich life. He and his wife Ann were married for 54 years and have three children, Solveig, Bjorn and Hal. Harold was born in Minnesota to Norwegian parents Martin and Alice Thorsrud. He had a sister Nora who preceded him in death. Harold lived in North Dakota for a time, later lived in Norway and then moved to Southern California. As a teen he contracted tuberculosis and was in a sanitarium for a year but was able to recover and go on to be a successful mechanical engineer. Harold met Ann, his British wife, in Copenhagen, Denmark. He was on vacation while working in Greenland. The two were engaged within the first three months of their relationship. Within a year they were married in Mississippi then moved to Southern California where their first daughter was born. They later moved to Las Vegas, NV in their sporty, green Volkswagen Karmann Ghia convertible where Harold worked at the Nevada Test Site. Their two sons were born in Las Vegas and Harold made a great life for his family there. He also ended up buying a more family friendly station wagon but kept the convertible. After he retired from Test Site, he opened up his own shop as a contractor but that was short lived. He lost his vision and partial hearing and had to make other plans. He became a marriage commissioner for Clark County and enjoyed performing hundreds of ceremonies. Despite his handicap, he overcame much and learned braille and trained in Northern California to get a guide dog. He outlived two guide dogs, Caribou and Midas. He loved dogs and his dogs adored him - from Huskies, German Shepherds to Labradors and a very stubborn Airedale Terrier. There was not a time except very later in life, when he did not own a dog. Harold also was a great fisherman and enjoyed trout fishing in Utah to catching catfish at Lake Mead. He once caught a giant catfish and brought it home to live in the family bathtub when his kids were still young. He was a very smart, hard working and tough man. He loved his wife dearly and always sent her roses for any special occasions. He was proud of his three children as well as his four grandchildren. He loved a good glass of champagne, escargot, cold bottle of beer and a perfectly seasoned and cooked steak as well as listening to world news and music. He is survived by his wife Ann; daughter Solveig and her husband Joe Raftery; sons Bjorn; Harald and his wife Laura; grandchildren Alex, Julie, Nicholas and Dakota; niece Kathleen and nephew Don as well as hundreds of close friends. A private celebration of his life was held for immediate family in Las Vegas, NV on January 10, 2016. A service is scheduled at Las Ventanas retirement community, 10401 W. Charleston Boulevard, Las Vegas, NV 89135, on Saturday, January 23, 2016 at 2pm. The family welcomes cards, donations to Nevada Public Radio in honor of Harold or flowers (no lilies please due to allergies). The family encourages you to hold your loved ones close and enjoy every moment you have together.