Lorin Stanley Rydstrom

Lorin Stanley Rydstrom, beloved husband, father, grandfather and uncle, passed away peacefully at home on September 30, at the age of 74.

Lorin was born on March 20, 1950, in Washington, DC. The youngest son of a pilot and lawyer in the Army Air Corps, he lived around the country as a child before settling with his parents in Fairport, New York. It was there that he met Nanci Ellen Anderson, his wife of 53 years, during high school. They married in 1971. After graduating from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry and Syracuse University. Lorin moved to Chicago to begin his lifelong career in the lumber industry starting at Hines Lumber Company in Illinois. After a couple years there, Lorin and Nanci moved to Portland, Oregon where he joined American International (AIFP), the first company of Forest City Trading Group (FCTG). Lorin remained with Forest City Trading from 1974 until his retirement 40 years later. During his time with the company he was a trader at AIFP and VP at Tampa International. In 1983 he founded Seaboard International Forest Products in Nashua, New Hampshire where he served as president for three decades, mentoring countless individuals in the lumber industry.

Outside of work, Lorin lived with his family in Hollis, NH where he was active in town affairs, especially the town and school cooperative budget committees. He served as a founding shareholder and board member of both the Nashua Bank in 2007 and the Millyard Bank in 2019. He was an avid outdoorsman. He enjoyed hunting with friends, fishing with his brother, and hiking with his kids. Lorin was also a past board member of the Beaver Brook Association in Hollis. Demonstrating his personal commitment to land conservation, Lorin donated a conservation easement to the Forest Society to protect a 347-acre woodlot in Northfield. In 2022 he was honored as the NH Conservationist of the Year in recognition of his longtime career as founder of Seaboard International Forest Products, his personal dedication to conserving New Hampshire’s working forests and special places, and his support to conservation work across the state. He also loved spending time outdoors in his Christmas trees with his dogs and tapping the sugar maples for syrup on Dow Road.

Lorin was predeceased by his parents, Deloris and Jean, and his brother Eric. He is survived by his wife Nanci; two children, Justin and Katherine; daughter-in-law Jessica; and three grandchildren, Nathaniel, John and Ansley; as well as sisters-in-law, nieces and nephews. 

A celebration of life will be held in 2025 with details to be announced. Lorin was a forester and conservationist at heart; in lieu of flowers please consider a donation in his honor to the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, at 54 Portsmouth St., Concord, NH 03301.