Alfred Torrens' Obituary
Alfred Torrens passed away peacefully at home on Feb 1, 2020 surrounded by loved ones. For Alfred, life was about finding a purpose and meaning and drawing happiness from that, which he did. Alfred was born on March 8, 1939, the youngest child of Julio Henry and Anna Marti Torrens in Tampa, FL where he remained a life-long resident for 80 years. The earlier years of Alfred’s life were filled with memories of time spent with his siblings; Oscar, Ileana, Yolanda, Henry, Gloria and Eddie, along with many cousins, nieces, nephews, neighbors & friends fishing, riding street cars in Ybor City and climbing mango & guava trees where they ate until their hearts were content, and their bellies ached. As a young man, Alfred proudly served in the National Guard for many years where he prepared to serve & protect his country.
In 1964 Alfred met & married Jennis Ebanks at Jobber’s Warehouse in Tampa where they both worked. Jennis was a native of the Cayman Islands, a place and people Alfred would soon grow to love and consider his 2nd home & family. The following year, Alfred & Jennis started their family with their 1st daughter Lisa, followed shortly thereafter with Michelle (Michael Pena) and Jennifer (Alan Villa). Alfred & Jennis raised their family in West Tampa where they lived for many years. Alfred & Jennis were both active members of the Caribbean American Club where they organized & promoted many dances & events to support relations with others who had relocated or were visiting from other Caribbean islands.
Alfred earned a living to support his family by working in the auto parts industry for over 20 years where he learned a lot about cars (something he truly enjoyed tinkering with) and made many lifelong friends. When the opportunity arose for Alfred to join the family business, Henry’s Lock & Key (started by his father, “Papa Henry” many years earlier), he proudly became another Torrens locksmith and cheerfully worked beside his brother Oscar, and nephews, Edward & Frank until retiring. Shortly after retiring as a locksmith, Alfred joined Publix part-time – while he always wanted his family to believe he was going back to work for the company’s excellent benefits such as health insurance and profit sharing, we all suspect it was the perks such as easy daily access to the bakery and sweet buns that really lured him into to the grocery business.
Family was always at the core of Alfred’s heart and his greatest sense of pride & joy. Some of his fondest memories included summer vacations in the Cayman Islands or St. Pete Beach, coaching his daughter’s softball teams, attending dance performances, or his grandson’s baseball games, fishing, crabbing, landscaping, fixing things (all kinds of things) and just simply gathering with family and friends. “Papa”, as he liked to be called by his grandchildren; Alexia, Brian, Nick, Tyler & Seaira and great-grandchildren; Alano, Harlow, Brian & Luna, was a friend to everyone and a quiet source of strength & peace for all who knew him. He loved & gave from his heart unconditionally and was always willing to compromise & get along with everyone. Getting a call from “Papa” to say he was “making” his famous Stouffer’s lasagna meant it was time for us to all gather together – those were the best calls.
Alfred was a surrogate father to many of his daughter’s friends, and a surrogate grandfather to many of his grandchildren’s friends, always willing to step-in when needed, support, encourage & make sure everyone felt included and loved. Alfred will unquestionably be met by family members & friends who preceded him in death, and until our paths meet again, he will be enormously missed by surviving loved ones.
Alfred found his purpose and meaning in life by being loving, patient & kind to all – he was the essence of a wonderful man who was loved, is missed, and will always be cherished.
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