Harlan Theodore “Ted” Thoreson, MD: January 25, 1931 – August 8, 2026

Dr. Harlan Theodore “Ted” Thoreson, beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, and friend, died peacefully of natural causes August 8, 2026, at Casa Dorinda in Montecito, CA, with his daughter SJ by his side.

Ted was born January 25, 1931, to Evelyn and Harlan V. Thoreson in Doland, South Dakota, where he lived with his grandmother Patience Wilkins through high school. His love of sports and music started as a youth, running track, making basketball and football teams, and playing the cornet and baritone horn in band. He was determined from a young age to become a doctor and received his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Oregon in 1957.

Ted enlisted in the United States Army to specialize in ophthalmology, earning his certification as a licensed ophthalmologist in 1965. After eight years of military service, including three years overseas during the Korean War, Ted was granted an honorable discharge in 1966 as a Major and awarded the National Defense Service Medal. Ted then began a successful medical practice in Boise, Idaho, with his longtime college friend Dr. Roy Ellsworth. Ted was on staff at St. Alphonsus and St. Luke’s regional medical centers and served as chief of staff of St. Alphonsus prior to serving on the Board of Trustees. He was highly regarded among his colleagues, patients, and throughout the Pacific Northwest, with his surgical skills sought out by patients as far away as London. Ted contributed to the advancement of medicine and reshaping the community’s health care delivery system by serving on hospital and medical boards, acting as a consultant to the VA Hospital and Elks Rehabilitation Hospital, making major contributions to the Idaho Lions Eye Bank, and being a founding member of the Idaho Society of Ophthalmology. His civic philanthropy included lecturing in schools, coordinating the United Way’s professional division, serving on the board of the Boise Philharmonic, and contributing to the life of Saint Michael’s Cathedral.

Ted married Shauna Johnson in 1956 in Portland, OR, with whom he had five children, Joe, Katrina, Angel, Tom, and SJ. Ted shared his love of the outdoors with his family, snow skiing (of which he took many family films), sailing, hunting and fishing, teaching his children to water ski, and spending time in the mountains. There were evenings watching the family movies he made, playing hearts, and Sunday dinners with his parents and sister. Ted demonstrated creativity through photographs he developed in his darkroom, his dancing pizzazz, his vegetable gardens, fruit trees, and beautiful rose gardens.

In 1979, Ted married Cynthia Bates in Boise, ID, and lovingly welcomed her son Jeffery B. Watson into the family. Ted and Cynthia moved to Montecito, CA, after his retirement, where he enjoyed years of adventures on his sailboat, playing golf and tennis, spending time with friends, tending his garden, and traveling the world with Cynthia. Ted maintained his medical license through 2023 and continued his philanthropy serving on a variety of boards and making contributions in the Santa Barbara community.

Ted was deeply saddened by the death of his son Tom (2015) and stepson Jeffrey (1989). He is survived by his wife Cynthia Thoreson, his sister Patience Thoreson, children Joe Thoreson, Katrina Collins, Angel Schade (Curt), SJ Sheppard (Marc), 11 grandchildren, 9 great-grandchildren, a number of cousins, and countless friends.

Ted will be remembered for his love of family, his dedication to medicine, his adventurous spirit, and the many ways he enriched the lives of those around him. He will be profoundly missed.

A memorial service will be held September 30, 2026, at 1 pm at All Saints-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church, 83 Eucalyptus Lane, Santa Barbara, CA 93108. A reception will immediately follow in the church courtyard. Live streaming of the memorial service will be available; please contact [email protected] for details.

In lieu of flowers, the family encourages you to reach out to an old friend or establish a new one through an act of kindness, and continue Ted’s legacy of making the world a better place.