Victoria Lynn Rogstad

Torria
Mother, Sister, Daughter, Lover, Baker and Cook, Interior Decorator and Landscaper, Writer, Interviewer, Comedian, Singer and Dancer, Performer, Photographer, Traveler and Explorer, Manager, Stunt Driver, Horse Whisperer, Astronomer, Student and Teacher, Spectator and Cheerleader, Competitor and Coach, Defender and Protector, Counselor and Friend…

September 17th, 1958 in St. Vincent’s Hospital, Green Bay, WI, she took her first breath. July 7th, 2021, over 62 years later and just down the street, she took her final breath. In between she charmed everyone she came in contact with, and did her best to improve the lives of any she could help. She internalized and intensely shared in every emotion of those around her, and poured caring, laughter, and enthusiasm into all she set out to accomplish. 

She is finally reunited with her son, Clarence; her parents, Clarence and Jeannie; her parents-in-law Ernie and Albina; her good friends Chuck and Lolly; nephew, Michael; niece’s mother, Doris; and many loved animals: several horses, cats, bunnies, fish, and dogs including a huge- and likely rambunctious- pack of Boston Terriers. 

She lovingly watches and patiently awaits the time when she will be able to reunite with her husband, Raymond; daughter, Sierra; brothers, Cj, Randy, Andy, Steve, and Mike; Sisters, Mona, Donna, Cindy, and Lisa; brother-in-law, John; and sisters-in-law, Elvina, and Sonja; the siblings’ extensive spouses and offspring, and countless friends.

It is impossible to truly capture the complexity, intense love and warm light of a life in words, but here, at the end of her era, we remember with fondness some of the more defining highlights and interesting parts of Torria’s time on earth:

Moving back and forth between Wisconsin and Florida with her family throughout childhood.

At the house on Irene street in Green Bay, when she was very young, waddling to the curb and plopping down just before stepping in front of oncoming traffic, and effectively terrifying her sisters in the process!

Helping her dad with yard work and taking care of the animals. Playing with Boston terriers, rabbits, kittens, and more.

Having to hunt down and catch dozens of hamsters her friend had freed from their cages after discovering her dad was breeding and selling them.

Helping her mom cook and clean, and watching over her younger siblings.

Baking cookies in the middle of the night when sleep was elusive.
Horseback riding and exploring for hours usually on Lady or the pony Rascal (and occasionally ditching school to do so)

Hopping on rocks and accidentally landing on broken glass. She left a trail of bloody footprints and her parents took her to three different clinics, who all said to bring her to the Emergency Room, before finally doing so. The scar remained on the bottom of her foot for the rest of her life.

Getting sent to the office at the catholic school for her uncontrollable laughter caused by her friend Randy. One of Torria’s favorite memories was of a nun angrily trying to pull Randy off of whoever he was making out with in the hall, only to discover it was just him wrapping his arms around himself and writhing around to successfully mimic a second person being involved.

Whistling as she walked across vast fields to meet her friends, using their whistles in response as a guide to find each other.

Ice skating in the field near the family house in Wisconsin (now Mona’s house)

Working in a sweltering seafood plant to save up some cash. During one shift the freezer systems broke down and crabs started coming back to life and crawling everywhere in an attempt to escape. Another time there was a gas leak and her fellow employees started passing out left and right. After each shift, her mother would make her strip down before entering the house due to the persistent odor.

Unsurprisingly, the experience was enough to keep Torria from eating seafood after that point.

Normally wearing hand-me-downs, saving up enough to buy a nice silver outfit of her very own, and then getting harassed at school by jealous girls.

Sitting outside the soda bottling plants and peering inside with friends. Occasionally they would be noticed and treated to samples.
Petting and feeding calves on a veal farm, and getting upset once she later learned about their fate. She could not bring herself to eat veal as a result. Similarly, she avoided venison due to the association with Bambi in her mind.

Running away and taking a bus/hitchhiking.

Assaulting her boyfriend with a hairbrush while he was trying to run down some poor animal in his car with her in the passenger seat.

Her first (brief) marriage at age 18 to Johnny.

Managing Hardees in South Carolina, and doing so well that the corporate bigwigs wanted to know her secret! She took several of her employees under her wing, and helped them in their personal lives, even de-escalating a situation with an armed and disgruntled boyfriend of one young girl, and confidently stood up to her bosses when told she was hiring ‘too many black people.’ 

Marriage to her 2nd husband, Ted.

Being blessed with her first child, Clarence (Nov. 1st, 1980)Having to leave work in a panic to pick up a very young Clarence, who wandered away from his caretaker and to the side of a busy road to play in the dirt. Luckily an acquaintance saw him and alerted her!

Getting divorced and eventually moving back to Wisconsin with Clarence.

Forming a strong friendship with Lolly, despite actually getting into physical fights with each other once or twice.

Disco dancing!

Investigating the sudden, strong scent of fresh baked bread in the car with Clarence, delaying them from entering an intersection just as a semi ran a red light and came barreling through right where they would have been.

Using her amazing people skills to juggle multiple food service jobs and support her family.

Modeling for a restaurant sign off Broadway in De Pere.

Helping out Clarence’s cub scout troop as a Den Mother.

Working for pizza hut, and amazing her boss with her energy. He would often exclaim “Vick-ay, you so gooood!”

Eating leftover pizza with expired sauce, and getting so sick with food poisoning she was seeing purple stars!

Opening the Hardees in Oconto.

Getting a house with a white picket fence.

Coming home from work to discover her pet bunny had nibbled a perfectly round spot in the drapes so he could better see out the window.

Messing up the ratio of ingredients in an early batch of buns. They were far too hard to eat, and Ray nailed them to a tree for the squirrels, though after a while it was obvious even the squirrels wouldn’t (or couldn’t) eat them.

Dressing up as clowns for a parade with Clarence, Michelle, and Elvina.Pitching on the Hardees softball team.

Making eyes with Ray in the mirror behind the bar at Danny’s Pizza (later Billottis), then finding out he was her blind date when their mutual friends Bonny and Jim arrived!

Doing wheelies on a motorcycle to impress her new fiance and subsequently breaking her arm, sadly ending her ‘pitching career’
Trying new things, liked to say she was up for just about anything once. 

Getting married to the love of her life, Ray (March 30th, 1987). A marriage that would last nearly 35 years.

Ray officially adopting Clarence.

Finding a tiny octopus in a shell she picked up, laying it out to dry on the sunny sidewalk. Coming back a few minutes later, the octopus was gone and only a perfect, damp outline remained. The fire ants had made quick work of it!

Supporting Ray through his battle with cancer, and enduring!

Being blessed with another child, Sierra (Nov. 3rd, 1989)

Happily having the opportunity to be a full-time mom, and caring for Sierra and often Tanner in their preschool years.

Several trips to Florida and Disney World!

Laying on the deck with her mom at CJ and Maryke’s Ledgeview house, and watching a spectacular meteor shower. They tried to coax a very young Sierra to join them, but every time she would step out onto the deck, a meteor would streak by and the excited shouts would spook her back inside.

Always up for fireworks and sunsets, flyovers, and drives to see the Autumn leaf changes!

Learning Taekwondo from Master ChoCountless comedy clubs, shows and concerts with friends and family.

Interviewing people with her hand, as if she had a microphone- and they seemed to believe she did!

Coaching soccer, and chauffeuring the ameteur athletes back and forth.
Cheering for Clarence and Sierra during baseball, basketball, soccer, and football games.Helping out Sierra’s girl scout troop. Sold (and bought) many cookies!

Supporting her kids at numerous piano, trombone, violin, and dance lessons and performances.

Always listening and often singing along to a variety of music, from Styx and System of a Down to El Divo and Sarah Brightman to Eminem and Dotdotdot. Some favorite songs include: Paul Simon’s The Boxer, Hall and Oates Method of Modern Love and Kiss on My Face and You Make My Dreams Come True, One Tin Soldier from Billy Jack, Bruno Mars Talking to the Moon, Creep by Radiohead, several songs from Carly Simon, the Carpenters, and the Mamas and the Papas, and also the Wedding Song by Peter, Paul, and Mary. Of course, the Aimes Brothers and Mannheim Steamroller always filled her house during the Holidays. When cleaning or baking, the bass could be felt throughout the house!

Dabbling in music, such as playing keyboard/piano/organ, the mouth harp, and potato flute.

Listening to her family make beautiful music. She loved hearing Vince and Maria singing, brother Steve playing guitar, her mother playing piano, organ, accordion, and singing, Andy singing, and Sierra playing piano or violin. 

Donning habits with her sisters and performing at her parents 50th anniversary.

Listening to wind chimes and bird calls.

Watching wildlife of any kind, but especially Pelicans soaring, horses, cardinals, robins, finches, and hummingbirds, and watching the Bald Eagles raising their young in the Brown County fairgrounds! Peregrine falcons were also special to her, because the family was lucky enough to be able to name two chicks through a program at Ray’s work. Clarence named one after Sierra, and years later, Sierra named one after Clarence!

Enjoying a Pepsi, always her goto drink. Occasionally she would imbibe some Jack Daniels in her Pepsi, have a long island iced tea (her favorite was when it wasn’t mixed, but layered, and as she would drink she got to experience the ‘yum’ of each layer), a bloody mary with a beer chaser, or her favorite wine; white zinfandel. Another combo she loved was shots of Jagermeister with warm, fresh baked chocolate chip cookies.

Reading paperbacks, which she could easily go through several of per week. Two of her favorite authors were James Patterson and Nora Roberts.

Playing Yahoo games, such as Euchre, and using the fancy new emails, instant messaging on AOL, and other capabilities of dial-up, set up courtesy of Clarence.

Writing: short stories, poems, quips, tributes, little love notes, or pages of emotion. She had a true gift for finding just the right words for any occasion.

Sunbathing anywhere and everywhere. Even during sub-zero Wisconsin winters, she would say “I am going to Florida for a bit!” and find a sunbeam through a window to soak up some rays.

Playing outdoor games with friends and family, such as badmitten, croquet, tetherball, horseshoes, and cornhole.

Easter at Andy and Darlene’s beach home.

Christmas and New Years at Randy and Lolly’s Tampa home.

Christmas and New Years at Sony and Mike’s farmhouse.

Many Christmases and Rodeos in York, WI.

Playing board games, cards and dice with family and friends. She was always amazing at word games such as Upwords and Scrabble, and played Yahtzee and Acey Deucey with Ray nearly every day since they retired. Fun fact: She departs with several family accolades, such as highest Triple Yahtzee score, and will remain the reigning champion of several other games and forever hold the coveted ‘Holy Mackerel’, ‘Eclipse’, and ‘Old Man in the Mountain’ awards.

Camping and dirt biking in Black River Falls with Ray, Sierra, and Clarence and many more family members and friends, including: Tanner, Sony and Mike, CJ and Jake, and Chuck and Donnie.

Loving many pets: Dogs Mickey and Tasha, cats Andy and Sandy, several fish, Clarence’s rabbit and guinea pig, and Sierra’s many exotic pets including lizards and snakes (who Torria found interesting and tolerated, but didn’t necessarily want to pet)

Mickey would suck on the faces of stuffed toys, especially Pound Puppies, to a point and even sometimes ingested the eye buttons. Once Torria entered a room to discover a neatly placed pile of dog poo, and it was looking back at her!

Traveling to Hawaii with Lolly. Torria absolutely loved that trip. Fun fact: they met Richard Simmons at the airport!

Deer drives with Ernie, Albina, El and John.

Sledding and skiing, and building snowmen!

Shooting her long barrel .357 Dan Wesson with Ray.

Riding her red Honda XL100 Motorcycle, and riding on the back when Ray goes for a ride. She would lightly hit him on the back to go faster, and say if she wanted to go slow she would have stayed home!

Baking! So much baking. Torria’s home was always filled with buns, cookies, brownies, cakes, pies, homemade pizza, and more. She also loved customizing recipes and enjoyed the challenge of making wish cakes on birthdays. No matter how crazy or complex the request, she would find a way to make it happen!

Decorating for Christmas, Halloween, and everything in between! Ray and Torria would cover the house with seasonal decor, inside and out, and dress up for the occasion too. She perfected her witch costume with a green cleansing mask, which flaked as it dried, adding an eerie effect, all while nourishing her skin. Genius! 

Working as a lunch lady in the De Pere school system, and cleaning at St. Norberts.

Calling in and winning radio contests several times! She also once made up a silly song about her dog, Mickey, to the tune of My Country ‘Tis of Thee and sang it live over the air.

Supporting the Desert Veterans of Wisconsin, including coordinating the mission to the King Home in Waupaca several Christmases in a row. Purchasing, packaging, shipping, and accounting for donations of thousands of pounds of needed paper products, clothes, and gift packages to vets in need on behalf of the DV. One of the more memorable comments from an older vet was that this was the biggest and best gift they had ever received in their life.

Watching Dancing With the Stars, American Idol, Days of Our Lives, Billy Jack movies, and countless other shows. She loved watching people do amazing feats and follow their dreams!

Interacting with people, even strangers at store check-outs. She incorporated a poetic and sometimes even dramatic flair into her conversations. Her intuition about people was often spot on, she picked up and internalized any emotions around her, and things she said sometimes turned out to be almost prophetic.

White water rafting, boating, swimming, and traveling to see waterfalls and events like the sturgeon spawning in Shiocton.

Cheering on the Packers. She attended many games in person, but preferred to watch it on TV with some good chips and Sarah’s dip. If they were playing Florida, she and her siblings would often heckle each other through Facebook and texts.

Gardening and cultivating flowers. She was happy to share anything she grew; such as her peonies, clematis (which she jokingly referred to as her chlamydia), tulips, lilacs, sunflowers, the giant pussywillow tree, a thriving raspberry patch (she loved raspberry everything), pumpkins, cucumbers, tomatoes, squash, and a single ear of corn (which was unfortunately eaten by the one resident Turkey in urban De Pere, so hopefully she enjoyed it). Torria often would trade with neighbors and friends and use harvested veggies and fruits for canning and pickling and numerous delicious dishes. She always loved receiving flowers, as well, and was gifted hundreds of beautiful roses from her doting husband, Ray. 

Burning her vast collection of candles. Some of her favorite scents included Macintosh Peach and Tonka Bean and Pumpkin. Similarly she loved coconut and eucalyptus lotions, and Hugo Boss perfume. 

Pedicures and spa days with her daughter, siblings, and friends (even brother Steve went once!)

Calling up her siblings in conference calls, and enjoying the chaos and confusion when nobody knew who had originally called who. 

Taking pictures and videos. She was deeply touched and appreciative of the numerous memories Elvina expertly captured and shared, as well. Torria understood time is fleeting, and wanted to save and remember every last wonderful moment! 

There is so much more to Torria, of course, but these highlights hopefully capture some of her essence and impact in the world. She will be sorely missed, and forever loved.

A visitation will be held on Friday, July 16th, from 4:00 – 6:45 pm at Cotter Funeral Home, 860 N. Webster Ave. A funeral service will follow at 7:00 pm, with Rev. Mike Ingold officiating. Cotter Funeral and Cremation Care is assisting the family.