Guadalupe "Guada" Torres Reyes

Guadalupe (Guada) Torres Reyes (92), who resided at 3037 Marsh Harbor Place in Orlando, died from heart failure Sunday, May 15, 2016 at home in the presence of loving family members. He was born on December 12, 1923, the seventh of ten children of Eugenio Torres Colon and Julia Reyes, in Barranquitas, Puerto Rico, where his ancestors from Spain had lived for more than four generations. On May 5, 1945 he married Rita Anastasia Negron Colon in Barranquitas, and they were blessed with five children, nine grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren. Rita died June 5, 1986 in Puerto Rico. Four children survive: Anyltha Torres de Muench (Karl) in Miami, Lily Torres in Orlando, Carl G. Torres (Astrid) in Oslo, Norway, and Alex Torres (Sol) in Lake Worth. Grandchildren are Michael Muench (Rebecca), Natalie Muench Albainy (Mike), Camille Ortiz, Jonathan Ortiz, Janet Ortiz, Thea Torres, Aurora Torres, Giovan Torres, and Giselle Torres. Great-Grandchildren are in the order of the above families: Arlo Muench (5 mo.), Vivianna Albainy (5), Hugo Albainy (2), Lilyana Ortiz (3), Zion Ortiz (16), Jariz Mallebrera (12), and Johnny Mallebrera (10). Guada enjoyed playing "cara o cruz" with the last three of these children. For his first career Guadalupe joined the United States Army in 1943, and in addition to posts in Puerto Rico he served at Fort Lewis in Washington, Fort Knox in Kentucky, Frankfurt in Germany and Fort Bragg in North Carolina, before retiring at Fort Buchanan in Puerto Rico. He received a World War II Victory Medal amongst others and was commended for his superior leadership qualities and unselfish devotion to duty. His second career was in Puerto Rico in personnel management with the U. S. Social Security Administration, from which he retired in 1987. Guada loved little children, and his grandchildren and great grandchildren were a source of great joy. The youngest, 5-month-old Arlo, would light up seeing him, and Guada referred to him as “a little treasure.” He could not wait to see 3-year-old Lilyana, who came from Arizona last Sunday, Mothers’ Day, wearing a dress from the movie, Frozen. The dress lit up and played the song, Let it Be, most appropriate because Guada's motto was "Eventually everything is going to be fine" ("eventualmente todo va a estar bien"). He always had a positive attitude. The family traveled to Germany by ship, because Rita was pregnant with Carl and in those days was not allowed to fly. During Guada’s service in Germany he took his family all over Europe, exploring a new place at every opportunity. His brother was stationed about an hour away, so holidays were memorably shared with his family, which included four children. Guada was highly disciplined in all areas of his life, rising before sunrise to walk before going to work. He would customarily arrive at work before anyone else with his children, whom he would then take to school, often before sunrise. He never took a sick day off from work. He never spent a day in the hospital until he was 85, when he needed back surgery. Guada loved to dance. It was his passion.. Every weekend he went dancing with Rita at the club on base. Just a few months ago after dinner he was inspired to dance in his living room with daughter Any. Another passion was his garden. He grew fruit trees: mangoes, oranges, papayas and others. He grew pineapples in Orlando and watermelons in North Carolina. He mailed papayas to his grandchildren in Lake Worth. One of Guada's great satisfactions was to see his grandson, Michael, inherit his passion for growing things. In 2000 Guada moved to Orlando, where he was among numerous family members who admired him for his love of family gatherings. He hosted frequently and always included dancing in his living room. He was a devoted Catholic, watching Mass on television when he could no longer attend the parish. His neighbors, as anyone who knew him, spoke about his generosity in bringing fruits or vegetables from the farmers’ market to their homes. The family will receive visitors at A Community Funeral Home on Wednesday, May 18, from 5:00-8:00 with a service at 7:00 pm. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Thursday, May 19, at 10:00 am, at St. John Vianney Church followed by a reception for family at the home of Guada's niece, Julie Torres Johnson, and her husband, Marion. Burial of Guada’s remains will be at the U.S. National Cemetery in Puerto Rico.

Guadalupe "Guada" Torres Reyes

December 12, 1923 - May 15, 2016