Mark Dean Torvinen

Mark Dean Torvinen was a third generation Nevadan, born in Reno, Nevada in 1952 to Jerry D. Torvinen and Barbara Fitzgerald Torvinen. He attended the University of Nevada, Reno, and went on to earn his law degree from Pepperdine University School of Law, graduating in 1977. Before settling into his legal career, he served four years in the United States Army.

Mr. Torvinen built his professional life in Elko, Nevada, where he joined the Elko County District Attorney's Office as a deputy prosecutor. He went on to serve as Elko County District Attorney, holding the office in the late 1980s and returning to lead it again after being elected in 2010. In 2008 he had also been a candidate for a state court judgeship. Throughout his career he was recognized for his devotion to the law and to his community, and in 2001 he was honored at the Nevada Law Foundation Silver Ball.

Colleagues remembered Mr. Torvinen as absolutely honest and honorable, a man who followed his moral compass unerringly and always tried to do the right thing. He died on August 15, 2016, in Elko, Nevada, at the age of 64, while still serving as the county's district attorney.