Vanessa Taylor Lorenzen passed away peacefully August 18, 2020 with her family and pastor by her side. Vanessa was a native of Orange County, born Vanessa Taylor on April 10, 1946 to her parents Philip Harwood Taylor and Virginia Muriel Pope Taylor. Her family had deep roots in Santa Ana’s history. Her father’s family established Taylor’s Cannery on East Fourth Street, now Adapt. Her grandfather Frank Curtis Pope opened one of the first real estate offices in Santa Ana.

Vanessa and her elder sister Valerie (Taylor) Klein attended Santa Ana High School. Vanessa was very proud of her alma mater, where she made life-long friends, including Chris Huestis Storz and Dick Corn. She also kept in touch with many other classmates over the years.

Vanessa first married in her early 20s. She and her husband Michael Roemer Forrest had two children, Tony Phillip Forrest and Marie “Maria” Alexandra Forrest. She and Michael divorced just a couple of years later, and for most of her early adult life, her children were her two constants.

While in Orange County she worked for the Barbizon School of Modeling, and later landed an administrative secretarial position at the May Company in Orange. Throughout the years, she often remarked how wonderful it was to work with her managers, John Connolly and Michael Nigrelli. It was a job filled with wonderful memories. She often dressed up in costumes for special events and was even chosen to model in one of the May Company catalogues.

In 1975, Vanessa married Richard Lewis and moved with him and her children to Ferndale. The family were members of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, where Vanessa was baptised for a second time in her life, by Pastor William Diehl. She participated in the choir and assisted with the production of many church plays, from acting to set design.

During this time in her life, she also became active with the Ferndale Little Theater (Ferndale Repertory Theater) and starred alongside Charlie Beck in Spoon River Anthology. She and her husband Richard wrote, produced, and performed a musical called Sing America, Sing. Richard and Vanessa divorced in 1979. Vanessa was also briefly married to Robert Griggs of Ferndale.

Many years later, Vanessa met Linus Lorenzen through their mutual friend, Walter Oeschger. Both Vanessa and Linus had previous marriages but found in each other the love of their respective lives. Linus and Vanessa married in 1993.

Vanessa enjoyed travel and a little adventure. She and Linus made many gold mining trips. During one mining trip in the hills of Mexico she was stung by a swarm of bees and lived to tell about it. She took occasional trips to visit family in Southern California and Washington. She also enjoyed a cruise to Mexico, where she zip-lined with her girlfriends and step-daughter, Cathy Kunkler. Vanessa and Linus took a special trip to Denmark so Linus could give his niece away, Deborah Lorenzen, on her wedding day. Most recently, she traveled to Poulsbo, Washington so she could dance with her son at his wedding.

Over the years she worked for a number of Humboldt establishments. At The Ferndale Enterprise, where she worked with Hazel Waldner, she set the type, performed secretarial duties, and wrote a newspaper column called Tack Room Notes. She also enjoyed a business venture she took on with her friend Beverly Haywood. They opened a dog grooming business called The Paw Print, where the Cat Shack is now located on Main St. in Ferndale.

Vanessa was a talented artist and had a can-do attitude. If she wanted something out of her price range, she would often find a way to make it herself. She was a good mother and wife, beautiful inside and out. She will be remembered and missed by all who loved her. She was truly unforgettable.

Vanessa was preceded in death by her husband Linus Lorenzen just a couple of weeks earlier, her parents, and her dear sister Valerie Taylor Klein. She has gone home to join them in the home of the Lord.

She is survived by one son, Tony (Tara) Forrest of Poulsbo, Washington; one daughter Maria (Albert) Forrest-Murray of Loleta; two nieces, Cheryl (Cecilia Ybarra) Klein and Catherine (David) Klein-Bedell, and one great nephew, Dashiell Taylor Ybarra. She is also survived by her step-daughter, Cathy (Buck Zumwalt) Kunkler of Eureka, and many step-grandchildren, step-nieces, and step-nephews. She was also a distant cousin of President Bill Clinton (as her daughter learned through genealogy research)…so she is survived by cousin Bill as well.

There will be a small private family memorial service, Saturday September 12th. There will also be a small private burial in early October. Though, the family hopes to continue to celebrate her life on a regular basis with all who knew and loved Vanessa. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, to please send “In Memory” donations to the Santa Ana Historical Preservation Society, 120 Civic Center Dr. W. Santa Ana, CA 92701-7505 or the Ferndale Museum 515 Shaw St., Ferndale, CA 95536.

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