Sept. 25, 1924 -- Feb. 12, 2004. Arthur J. "Art" Torosian, 79, of Turlock died Thursday at Emanuel Medical Center. Mr. Torosian was a native and lifelong resident of Turlock. He was a grocery clerk at Rudy's Fine Foods from 1949-1978 and at the Economy Meat Market. He also managed the family ranch, was a Hughson High School graduate, and was a member of Free and Accepted Masons Lodge 395 and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5059. He was a Navy veteran of World War II and the Korean War. He was an avid wood carver and a member of the Tuolumne Wood Carvers Club.

He is survived by his wife, Ruby Torosian of Turlock; children, Terry Dorenzo of Chico and Cheryl Torosian of San Bruno; sister, Rose Narlian of Fresno; and four step-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by one brother and one sister. A funeral will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday at Allen Mortuary, with burial at Turlock Memorial Park. Visitation from noon to 8 p.m. Tuesday and 8:30 a.m. to noon Wednesday at the mortuary.

Remembrances may be made to Shriners Hospitals for Children, 2425 Stockton Blvd., Sacramento 95817; or the Turlock High School Auditorium Fund, P.O. Box 1458, Turlock 95381.

Originally published in the Modesto Bee, 2/15/03.

Pete's Comments: Wow, almost 50 years as a grocery clerk in the Turlock area; I bet he'd have some stories about the history of the northern San Joaquin Valley. That must have been when grocery clerks were still solidly a middle class job. Interesting that we're now witnessing the potential end of that era here in L.A. A Google search didn't turn up anything on either Rudy's or the Economy Meat Market, but I wonder if Rhonelle's parents remember anything, since Turlock is just down the 99 from their place and they visited weekly (if not more). Also, I wonder if Art's ranch was in eastern Stanislaus County -- his membership in the Toulumne Wood Carvers Club seems to indicate something like that, but maybe he just liked to drive to Toulumne County to be with his pals and a piece of good wood. Both the Masons and the VFW are completely foreign (no pun indended) to my experience because of their generational affiliations. I don't think anyone in my family has ever been in a fraternal organization except for my Dad's stint as a Beta Theta Pi at Lehigh in the early 60s. Nowadays, my image of such organizations comes largely from King of the Hill and I have no idea what the guys actually do in their "meetings." I'm sure they mostly hang out and shoot the breeze, but it seems like a gender division that we no longer value in contemporary society. Or at least we don't express its value in quite the same way. Finally, he'll be buried in the same cemetery as Rhonelle's grandmother.

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Who is the man in the category image?