EAU CLAIRE - Jessa Norris (Quick) Torvik, 44, of Madison, Wisconsin, died unexpectedly on Thursday, August 13, 2026, following a pulmonary embolism and cardiac arrest.

Jessa was born on March 6, 1982, in Eau Claire to James and Jill (Sherwood) Quick. She graduated as valedictorian from North High School and later from UW-Madison with a BBA in Marketing and a BA in Japanese.

Jessa was the beloved wife of Brett Torvik and the devoted mother of their four children, Kaia, Anderson, Desi, and Freya. Brett and Jessa met online in 2007 before that became the norm, bonding over a shared love of Diet Coke. In her first message to him, she declared this to be a “very, very attractive quality.” They shared more than 19 years together. They married on October 3, 2009. They named their dog Cola.

Jessa was a Marketing Manager at an online auto parts company for 17 years. She used her brilliant marketing mind to grow it from an up-and-coming business into an industry leader. She was a tenacious negotiator. Salespeople both loved working with her because she knew exactly what she wanted-and loathed working with her because she would get exactly what she wanted.

A self-taught artist, her paintings fill the family home alongside the countless photographs and memories she carefully surrounded her family with. She enjoyed making tie-dye shirts for family, friends, and even for one of her son’s soccer teams.

Jessa loved Japan. During college, she studied abroad there for a year, living with Japanese host families, and later returned for an internship in Tokyo, where she was the only American at her company. She returned again in 2009 and remained close with her host families, one of whom even attended her wedding. She planned to take her family to visit one day and honed her Japanese skills daily with Duolingo.

She also loved planning annual family summer trips-from her “bucket list” vacation to Maine and the Northeast, to a recent cruise in the Bahamas.

Jessa’s life revolved around her four children. She spent countless hours agonizing over soccer and volleyball tryouts and stressing out during games. Her kids told her she had a very distinctive clap when she was cheering-which was a lot. She cared deeply about their sports journeys, as basketball was an important outlet for her during middle and high school, but she only encouraged-never pressured.

Following a tradition passed down from her own mother, Jessa loved having the kids give her massages.

She gave the best nighttime snuggles to Freya.

Jessa was always making friends. Her children's activities became part of her social life, too, and she treasured the friendships she made with other parents through years of soccer, volleyball, school, and everything else the kids were involved in. She had a way of turning people she happened to sit beside on the sidelines into real friends. She was always on her phone or computer, trading updates with friends and staying connected to the people she cared about.

Jessa never left the people she loved wondering how she felt about them. She constantly told Brett and the kids that she loved them-in person, in texts, and in the countless little ways she cared for them every day. Sometimes she started family car rides by saying, “I love you all.” Other times, she would go around one by one and wait until she got an “I love you” back before moving on to the next person.

Even after her death, Jessa continued to give to others through organ donation. Her liver, kidneys, and kind heart were donated so that others could live.

Jessa is survived by her husband, Brett Torvik; their children, Kaia, Anderson, Desmond “Desi,” and Freya; her father, James J. Quick; her brother, Jeffrey Quick; her parents-in-law, Bernie and Laurie Torvik; her brothers-in-law, Brady (Elin) Torvik and Bart (Laura) Torvik; and her nieces, Veya Torvik, Ivy Torvik, and Julia Torvik. She is also survived by her aunt, Barbara Quick; her uncle, David Quick; her aunt, Ann Sherwood; and her cousins, Kathy (Paul) Duscher, Michael (Annie) Sherwood, and Alissa (George) Sherwood.

She was preceded in death by her mother, Jill Quick; her grandparents, James W. and Delores Quick and Robert and Patricia Sherwood; her sister-in-law, Molly Torvik; her brother-in-law, Brian Torvik; and her uncle, Robert Sherwood.

A funeral service will be held at GOOD SHEPHERD LUTHERAN CHURCH, 5701 Raymond Road, Madison, at 12 noon on Saturday, August 29, 2026. Burial will be held at Resurrection Cemetery. Visitation will be held at GUNDERSON WEST FUNERAL AND CREMATION CARE, 7435 University Ave., Middleton, from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m. on Friday, August 28, 2026, and also at the church from 11 a.m. until the time of the service on Saturday.

Memorials may be made to the Dane County Humane Society or Good Shephard Lutheran Church.

Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com.

Gunderson West
Funeral & Cremation Care
7435 University Ave.
(608) 831-6761

Jessa Norris Torvik

March 06, 1982 - August 13, 2026

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