The Story of Don

Before I transition to a broader format, it is vital to share Don's full story as told by the love of his life Beth: 

Donald E. Torbet

Donald E. Torbet

1951-2020

Celebration of Life

Rust Park

Saturday, September 19, 2020

2-4 pm

This fuzzy picture was from our Seattle bar crawl celebrating a birthday about 25 years ago.

Don

and

Beth

moved to Ruston shortly before we did in the early 1980's. They built Don's Ruston Market into a community hub where thousands found joy at the old fashioned soda fountain and in their good company. Don served 35 years on the Ruston Fire Department before retiring as chief in 2019. After hearing from so many who knew him, these are my thoughts so far on this incredible man and his legacy to our community and beyond.

_____________________________________

There once lived a man. God, did that man LIVE! Don jumped into life with gusto. Embraced it. Gave it all that he had. Some say he seemed immortal; so great was his impact, energy and strength. He was passionate, giving, caring, smart, opinionated, strong, stubborn. And gone much, much too soon.

He never knew his full legacy. None of us will ever know how many hundreds of lives he touched. He held the neighbors bleeding son who was dying from a gunshot; keeping him alive till paramedics arrived. He was the first at the door when the house burned or a child screamed in pain. He knew our names. He offered hope and comfort in crisis.

He coached his kid’s baseball teams. He trained fire fighters. He mentored neighborhood kids. He made music and touched souls. He and Beth built our community’s heart; not just a welcoming physical space but a second home in which to gather and connect. People came from miles just to sit and enjoy the sense of belonging. And debate to their heart’s content.

He had the vision of an entrepreneur. Always dreaming, building, moving from adventure to adventure. He had the energy of men half his age, tempered with wisdom beyond his years. He gave more in his 69 years than most give in a hundred. Committed to his family and his town. He loved us fiercely and we loved him back.

Beth, you were his balance and his soulmate. It has been a joy to walk with you both, to work together loving this town, to learn how to grow up and now grow old as neighbors and friends. Thank you sharing him with us and for all that you have given us. We grieve with you. We wish you had been given more time.

We are better people for having known him. We are a stronger community because of his gifts. His legacy lives on in us and the generations he touched. If we walk even just a little bit like he did, oh what a difference we’d make in this world! I pray we honor his memory by doing just that.

Bigger Than Life

I've been tempted to dig into this blog again. This seems like the time to start. 

Our recently retired Ruston fire chief died last night. He was diagnosed with lung cancer just last month. The multitude who were touched by and loved Don Torbet, we are all in shock and heartbroken. I don't have words right now. Or enough pictures of these precious faces that have been a constant, deep part of the fabric of my life for over 30 years. Don was snatched away too soon. None of us were ready to let him go, not even close. Words will come later. For now only tears. Ruston, we lost a giant of a man last night.

Have Some Fun On Wheels This Weekend

Just in case you are looking for something fun to do over Easter weekend, the new bike rental shop is opening at Point Ruston, just behind the play ground. More details at Point Ruston's blog here...

Get Your Sushi

The newest restaurant at Point Ruston is slated to open this week, Mio Sushi. The News Tribune has more details here... Wander on down one of these evenings and check it out!

Tell Your Story

Calling all visitors, past and present, to Point Defiance Park.

We are seeking your stories of exploration, discovery and adventure at Point Defiance. 

We're launching a new Park campaign this spring called That's The Point. An essential component of this particular campaign is storytelling. To that end, we are looking for stories that highlight your fond memories, awesome experiences and entertaining interactions at Point Defiance Park. 

Please click here to get more information and submit your story.

Thank you in advance for sharing your story and collaborating with Metro Parks in creating this exciting new campaign!

 

Rust Bust In The News

The Tacoma Weekly has a story about the personalized bricks available in the plaza around the bust of W.R. Rust, the town's namesake. The first round of bricks will be ordered soon for the first phase of the plaza, so order soon! More details here...

South Sound Running North Open

Point Ruston has confirmed that South Sound Running's new store is open. The shop is located in the plaza next to Wild Fin restaurant. The first retail store in the new building is hosting a 5-K running event this Saturday starting at their new location. More details available here...

Why Ruston Is Cool

A neighbor recently posted on Nextdoor this great story about what makes Ruston such a cool place to live:

A big THANK YOU to all of the kind neighbors we met today in Ruston, and especially to Ray for saving the day!!! I woke up this morning with the disheartening realization that even though my kids and I had somewhere to be in just over an hour, I did not have a car seat for my toddler. It had mistakenly been taken with our minivan to the car shop in Spanaway where the van was getting fixed. The kids and I took the double-stroller and started walking around Ruston on a mission to find a friendly neighbor who might have an extra car seat. We met many wonderful and kind people who took the time to check their garages, to walk with us to meet more neighbors, or to smile and offer advise. In the end, Ray saved the day when he pulled his recycling truck up to our house with a loaner car seat from the new daycare center, Stepping Stones Academy, who had one to spare! Thank you, Tierra, for offering that to us! I feel so blessed to be living in a small town (with the conveniences of a big city, nonetheless!) surrounded by such kind neighbors. With a car seat loaner secured, we made it to our scheduled activity (better late than never), and were able to drive to the auto shop to retrieve our toddler's car seat. Thank you all, again! Hopefully those of you who opened your front doors to us are reading this -- thank you, all! It was a fun adventure, and we look forward to seeing you all around town again.

Fort Nisqually Update

From Metro Parks:

Feb. 1, 2016

 

Fort Nisqually possibilities to be unveiled Feb. 11

Public meeting part of process to decide Fort’s future capital projects and programs

 

A new visitor center, refurbished structures, better restroom access, improved parking, innovative interpretation techniques and more capital improvement possibilities at Fort Nisqually over the next 20 years will be unveiled in a public meeting at 6 pm. Feb. 11 in the Metro Parks Board Room, 4702 S. 19^th St.

 

The ideas have been gathered for months through public meetings and extensive research, all to create a more immersive visitor experience that will engage families as well as individual history enthusiasts to Fort Nisqually Living History Museum. Metro Parks wants to hear citizens’ reactions to the ideas, which will help them move forward with long-range capital and program plans for the Fort.

                                                                                                           

The meeting will be the second in a series of three public meetings focused on the Fort’s long-range capital and program plans. The museum is one of 10 focus areas identified for detailed planning in the Point Defiance Park Master Plan, which was updated in 2015. Other areas listed for detailed focus include Owen Beach, the Pearl Street entrance and overall traffic patterns.

 

As for Fort Nisqually, Chief Planning Manager Doug Fraser said he’d like more people to take part in the discussion of how best to use future capital funds and carry out the Fort’s mission of interpretation, education, research and preservation. “Now’s a great time to get involved in developing a detailed vision of the Fort’s future. You’ll see maps, diagrams and photos. We’d like you to tell us what you think.”

 

Metro Parks has hired Weatherhead Experience Design Group to lead the conversation. The group previously assisted Seattle’s EMP Museum and Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI), as well as the Chicago History Museum.

 

If you are unable to attend the Feb. 11 meeting, but would like to contribute ideas, call Fraser at  (253) 305-1019 or email him at dougf@tacomaparks.com.  A third and final public meeting is likely to take place in late March or April. For more information about overall Point Defiance Park planning, go to www.DestinationPointDefiance.org.  

 

The $198 million capital improvement bond passed by voters in 2014 included about $100,000 for Fort Nisqually planning.

Located in Tacoma’s Point Defiance Park, Fort Nisqually Living History Museum is a restoration of the Hudson’s Bay Company outpost on Puget Sound. Visitors travel back in time and experience life in Washington Territory. Nine buildings are open to the public, including the Granary and the Factors House, both National Historic Landmarks, and a Visitor Center with Museum Store. Fort Nisqually Living History Museum is a facility of Metro Parks Tacoma.  

Fort Nisqually Public Meeting

6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 11, Metro Parks Tacoma Board Room, 4702 S. 19^th St.

Contacts:         

Doug Fraser, Chief Planning Manager, (253) 305-1019; dougf@tacomaparks.com

Melissa McGinnis, Historic & Cultural Resource Manager, (253) 305-1003; melissam@tacomaparks.com

Michael Thompson, Public Information Officer, (253) 305-1092; michaelt@tacomaparks.com