Loren Postma with Roosevelt Road
Pacific northwest reso-guitarist Laurence Postma, known to friends as Loren, died on October 9 following a brief battle with cancer. He was 81 years of age.
Born in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, Loren moved around a good bit as a youth as his father was in the Navy. In high school he picked up the dobro, and played it for the rest of his life. After studying music a the University of Washington, he followed his father into the Navy. There he found other sailors interested in bluegrass and they played together on board ship in heir down time.
Once back home in Washington, Loren performed with a number of regional groups over the years, including Back Burner, The Combinations, Blueberry Hill, Deer in the Headlights, and Roosevelt Road. He had been strongly influenced by Flatt & Scruggs growing up in the 1950s and ’60s, and always preferred that sort of bluegrass.
The Postma family recalls their dad having a strong relationship with reso legend Jerry Douglas, attending many camps and workshops where Jerry taught all over the US. He was a big fan of Jerry’s Flatt & Scruggs tribute band, The Earls of Leicester.
You would find Loren at all of the major festivals in he pacific northwest, especially Wintergrass and Darrington. Once he retired, his family saw little of him on weekends as he was either out playing with a band, or enjoying music at one of the festivals.
Outside of music, Postma had a 38 year career with the city of Everett, WA, working in a number of different jobs there during that time. Once he retired in 2009, he gave his time over to bluegrass music, HAM radio, and his children and grandchildren.
He will be sorely missed by his family and a great many friends.
A celebration of life was held on November 8.
R.I.P., Loren Postma.
