Roberta L. Burns Torres

Roberta L. Burns Torres – accomplished attorney, animal lover, and arts patron – passed away peacefully on Thursday with her loving husband, Sidney Torres III, by her side.

Just as she approached everything in life, Roberta confronted her battle with cancer head on with the utmost grace and poise.

Roberta was born in Kansas City, Mo. on March 20, 1957 to Mabel “Norinne” Baggett and John Burns and raised in Shreveport, La. She graduated summa cum laude from Centenary College with a B.A. and earned a J.D. from Louisiana State University. After law school, she moved to New Orleans and later to her longtime home in Poydras.

Roberta put her skills and sharp wit to use as a fierce litigator, making a career of championing the rights of everyday people who had been wronged and denied a voice. Recently celebrating 35 years with Torres Law Firm, she was an icon in the legal profession, excelling in class action, mass torts, and complex litigation. Notably, she led in the Murphy Oil litigation, involving the oil spill that compounded damage caused by Hurricane Katrina. Guided by Roberta's savvy and expertise, the case was resolved quickly, enabling displaced residents to return home and rebuild their lives.

Roberta’s passion for the law was only exceeded by her deep love for animals and art.

She was a Grand National Champion Equestrian, breeder of prize-winning Paso Fino show horses, companion to Great Danes, and caretaker of a collection of creatures to rival Noah's. Among her greatest joys was horse riding together with Sidney, especially on the batture near their home.

Roberta was an avid patron of the arts, supporting artists and making art accessible through the Torres Burns Trust. In addition to their extensive art collection, the couple founded the Crevasse 22 | River House adjacent to their home to foster the arts through exhibitions and installations inspired by the region’s history and environment.

To commemorate her fight with esophageal cancer, Roberta had recently conceptualized and commissioned a sculpture that incorporated the face mask she used during treatment, covered in gold leaf, and surrounded by neon green uranium glass flowers to mark the areas targeted with radiation.

The epitome of class and known for her sense of style, Roberta was always impeccably dressed; and she provided the vision behind the design of her home, which the Times-Picayune called a “modernist masterpiece on a bucolic St. Bernard horse farm.”

A resident, business leader, and advocate for St. Bernard Parish, Roberta took up causes to improve and protect her adopted hometown, always quietly and behind the scenes.

Roberta is preceded in death by her parents and brother Douglas Burns. Left to cherish her memory are her adoring husband Sidney, siblings Jeffrey Burns (Susie) of Chattahoochee, Fla., Gretchen Williams (Jason) of Shreveport, and Mary Ellen Burns of Goleta, Calif., sister-in-law Lena Nunez, nieces and nephews, and many friends.

The family would like to extend a special thank you to the caring team at MD Anderson as well as those at St. Bernard Parish Hospital.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you honor Roberta's memory with a contribution to organizations that reflect her passions, the Louisiana SPCA, which protects the wellbeing of animals, the Creative Alliance of New Orleans, which organizes events at Crevasse 22 | River House and nurtures the arts in St. Bernard Parish and beyond, and the Committee to Stop the Destruction of St. Bernard, which is working to protect the local community, environment, and way of life.

A memorial and celebration of Roberta’s life will be held on Saturday, November 19, 2022 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Crevasse 22 | River House at 8122 Saro Lane, Poydras, La. 70085.