Theodore Lee Feenstra

Theodore “Ted” Lee Feenstra Jr. passed away on September 5, 2026, at the age of 66, after a life spent working hard, teaching others, loving his family, and always being good for an inappropriate joke at exactly the right or wrong time.

Ted spent most of his life in Washington and built a career as an arborist and line-clearance tree trimmer with IBEW Local 77, working throughout his career for multiple line-clearance utilities. He took tremendous pride in his work and had deep respect for the men he worked alongside. He loved the work, but just as importantly, he loved the people he shared it with.

Ted was a force of nature. Strong-willed, capable, stubborn, fiercely dependable, and rarely at a loss for an opinion, his presence was impossible to ignore. He held himself and the people around him to a high moral standard. He believed in doing things correctly, working hard, taking care of your family, and passing what you learned on to the next person.

At work and at home, Ted was the person people called when something went wrong. He might grumble a little about having to fix it, but he rarely said no. More importantly, he wouldn't simply fix the problem for you. He would turn it into a lesson so that the next time, you could handle it yourself. That ability to teach and mentor became one of the defining parts of his life. Countless family members, friends, and coworkers are better at what they do because Ted took the time to show them how.

Underneath the stubbornness, sarcasm, and inappropriate humor was a man who cared deeply about the people in his life. If Ted gave you a hard time, there was a good chance it was because he cared enough to expect something from you. He didn't just want the people around him to succeed, he wanted them to become capable enough to stand on their own and eventually teach someone else.

At the center of Ted's life was his wife, Vicki. Together, they built a life, a home, and a family that became the foundation for everything Ted valued most. Through the years, they experienced the ordinary and extraordinary parts of a life shared together. The work, the challenges, the laughter, the family milestones, and eventually the joy of watching their children build families of their own. What Ted and Vicki built together now extends through their children, grandchildren, and great-granddaughter. That family is one of the greatest pieces of the legacy they created side by side.

Ted's relationship with Vicki also gave him another family that became truly his own. He shared an especially close bond with Vicki's parents. Ted embraced them as his own parents, and they embraced him as their son. It was never simply a relationship of in-laws; they became family in every meaningful sense of the word, and that bond remained deeply important to him.

Becoming a grandfather brought an entirely new meaning to Ted's life. He loved his grandchildren fiercely and wanted more for every generation that followed him. He believed in building generational success and prosperity, not simply by leaving something behind, but by teaching his children and grandchildren the skills, work ethic, knowledge, and values they would need to build something of their own.

When he wasn't working or teaching somebody how to fix something, Ted loved cars, fishing, boats, woodworking, and generally anything that gave him an excuse to build, repair, or tinker with something. He was an avid NASCAR fan, loved classic rock, including ZZ Top, Led Zeppelin, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Eddie Money, and Bad Company. He was annoyingly loyal to the Dallas Cowboys, which his family remains reasonably convinced was at least partially because he enjoyed irritating everyone around him.

Ted was preceded in death by his parents, Marlene Tustin and Theodore Feenstra; and his brothers, Steve Feenstra and Rick Feenstra.

He is survived by his wife, Vicki Feenstra; his brother, Tim Feenstra; his children, Brianna Feenstra, Christopher Nordstrand and his wife Molly, and Ted Feenstra and his wife Aszia; his grandchildren, Wyatt, Colin, Lily, Dannae, Libby, Soren, and Kairi; and his great-granddaughter.

The size of the space Ted leaves behind is difficult to put into words. His loss will be felt not only by Vicki and the family they built together, but by the friends and coworkers who spent years relying on his knowledge, his strength, his humor, and his willingness to show up when somebody needed him.

There are people whose absence changes a room, and there are people whose absence changes the lives built around them. Ted was the latter.

For decades, he was a source of answers, advice, stories, laughter, hard truths, and the occasional opinion nobody had asked for. Losing someone with that kind of presence doesn't leave a small hole. It changes the shape of a family and a community. The lessons he taught, however, remain in the people who knew him, and those lessons will continue to be passed down.

Ted's legacy isn't limited to the things he built, repaired, or accomplished during his life. It lives in the people he taught, the coworkers he mentored, the family he provided for, and the generations he spent his life preparing to succeed after him.

There will always be something that breaks, someone who doesn't know how to fix it, and a moment when his family catches themselves thinking, “Dad would know what to do.”

And chances are, he already taught one of us.

A celebration of Ted's life will be announced by the family through private invitations.

Share your memories of Ted and sign the online guest register.