Obituary of Brian Toren

Futurist, systems thinker, avid photographer, national guardsman, athlete, reader, devoted life partner, parent and grandparent, Brian Keith Toren was a lover of air travel and blue skies but caught an earlier flight than his originally planned departure (in 2035), dying on July 14th, 2024. Let us all say, “Grr-onk!”

Brian was born on January 8th, 1935 (the same date as Elvis Presley and his best friend, Maynard Cleve) in Luverne, MN, to Anna (Penner) and Clarence Toren. He boasted of his wild youth on the streets of Luverne, where his parents owned a restaurant, and loved his life on their corn, soy and dairy farm from age 5, where he delighted in the natural world and crab apples and animals of every kind, including the draft horses that pulled their plow. Brian credited his mother for his wacky, corny sense of humor and ability to gleefully ‘play’ with cats (wishing he’d gotten her ability to sing) and was fortunate enough to pass his love of the silly, sublime and serious onto his children and grandchildren.

Ever-curious, quick-witted, nimble in both mind and body (secretly sentimental), Brian was a lover of math and physics but was lured away from college at the University of Minnesota to join the computer wave of the 50s (completing his B.A. a few years later). His life with Sperry Univac (later Unisys), started with programing the hardware for Nike computers, and kept him on the move between Minnesota, California, New Jersey, and Texas, letting him ride the surf all the way to Kwajalein, Marshall Islands, with his pregnant first wife, Eileen Custer, and where his first child Sean was born, then back again to Minnesota, where his second child, Kirsten was born. Brian took advantage of every place he lived, driving into “the City” from Whippany, NJ, to see Woody Allen perform stand-up; training with Navy divers to gain his NAUI SCUBA certification in California; running in the Parthenon in Athens; quaffing stouts in London with Kirsten; driving the Outback in Australia; traveling with Ginny to visit Sean in Germany after the wall came down; multiple Nobel conferences with Sandy; tramping through China by boat and train; taking the train up to Churchill to see polar bears; and delighting in the wonders of the crystal waters surrounding beloved “Kwaj.” 

Brian was a true systems thinker and brought his powerful intellect to projects such as the Nike X anti-missile system and the systems design for the air traffic control system for the Seoul Airport. A gymnast and track athlete in high school, Brian became a diver and sharpshooter in his 30s, a marathoner and swimmer in his 40s, a rollerblader in his 50s, and a bicyclist in his 60s, continuing to work out and bicycle several times a week until his death. A voracious reader, Brian always had a stack of books going (a mix of physics, history, biography, and The Far Side). And Brian could do almost anything: repair a carburetor, cook up a mean chili, braze a copper manifold, ride a horse in a handstand, develop his own film, program a website, pill a cat, rebuild a chimney (up on a three story roof, in his 60s), and say a genuine “I love you,” accompanied by a solid hug.

Besides computer expertise, Brian’s career comprised several phases, including marketing trainer (and later accountant) at Fissure, and computer science instructor at Metro State University. But his longest tenure was with the Minnesota Futurists, an intellectual endeavor of over 40 years that began with his boss and mentor, Earl Joseph, where his deep curiosity, systems vision and critical thinking kept everyone involved on their toes (qualities that he passed on to his children).

Brian was preceded in death by his parents, Anna (Penner) and Clarence Toren, brother Dennis (Barb) Toren and son, Fred Kimmer. He is survived by his siblings J.R. (Karen) Toren, Diane (Bruce) Wagar and his life partner of over 40 years, Virginia (Ginny) Kimmer. He will be greatly missed by his son Sean Marshall (Georgeanna) Toren, daughter Kirsten Kaye (Noel) Toren, daughter Sandy Kimmer, his grandchildren—Cody, Cydnie, Catherine and Bruno—and every single person who knew him well.

An open house and celebration of his life will take place at 1735 Shoreline Blvd, Prior Lake, MN, 55379, on October 6th from 11am to 3pm. In lieu of flowers, please make contributions in Brian’s name to Nobel Conference (https://gustavus.edu/give/Support+the+Nobel+Conference) to support the intellectual work he cared so deeply about.