George Raul Torres Sr.

A funeral service for George will be held Saturday, August 3, 2024 at 9:30 AM at Funeraria Del Angel West Covina, 2333 West Merced Ave, West Covina, CA 91790. Following the funeral service will be a graveside service at 11:30 AM at Resurrection Cemetery, 966 Potrero Grande Dr, Rosemead, CA 91770.

George Raul Torres, Sr was the middle son born to Camilo and Catalina Torres on 07/17/1947 in Los Angeles, Ca. His older brother was Richard (Daddy), and his younger brother was Larry. He grew up in a Catholic household located in East Los Angeles, in a predominately Hispanic community.

He grew up around family who taught him different trades, such as repairing autos to doing house repairs. His childhood memories included feeling that it was a better time for him to grow up back then. A time where children could stay outside till 10 p.m. at night and their parents never worried about them getting hurt. They would be outside playing basketball, baseball, and football. A time when everybody knew everybody and watched out for each other and their children. He grew up loving family gatherings because everybody was happy, laughing, joking and there was a lot of food.

He attended Marianna Elementary and Belvedere Middle School. He was one who would rather play outdoor sports than concentrate on grades. One time he got in trouble, he took something that didn’t belong to him, it broke, and he got swatted five times from the principal’s paddle. He never got in trouble in school again because he also got swatted at home as well. His one real good friend (and brother-in-law) till this day is Richard Angel, which he grew up with starting in grammar school and continued to coach football together when they were older.

His happiest early life memories also included riding bikes (or scooters made from orange crates) and playing whatever sport was in season. He grew up watching cowboy movies – mainly watched John Wayne. Back in his time, movies were in black and white, and he had to watch what his grandparents watched. If it was something he liked he would stay and watch, if not he would go outside and play.

He attended Garfield High School where he played football and was on the swim team. He received sports letters for those sports. When he was 17 years of age, he got his driver’s license and bought a 1954 Chevy which cost $50.00. At the age of 18 (July 1965) he joined the United States Army and served 3 years. After the service he got together with his wife Connie, who grew up in the same neighborhood as him and her sister Roseann (Toro) was married to his best friend Richard.

His young adulthood included the 60’s era where fashion at the time included miniskirts, bell bottoms, long hair, and crazy color shirts. Also, included life changing important events such as the assassinations of: President John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and Robert Kennedy. Sadly, it also included losing three close friends in Viet Nam. Throughout his life he talked about them and visited them on Memorial Day every year at Resurrection Cemetery – they were Gabriel Lona, Mike Velasco, and Stephen De Aro (known as Petie). He had always wished these friends would have come home so they could have grown old together. He remembers they used to have a lot of fun together in school and one in basic camp and figured they could have looked after each other just like they did when they were young.

He served in the US Army from July 1965 to July 1968, and was assigned to the 82nd Airborne and served in Operation Bonnie Burch in the Dominican Republic in 1967. He later went on to serve in the US National Guard for 12 years and Air Force Reserves for another 3 years. His military assignments provided him the opportunity to travel to 5 countries and 20 states. With the best place being an assignment in Okinawa, Japan. He received honorable discharges from all military assignments.

After the Army, he got his first job in 1968 as a Sears warehouseman where his starting pay was $2.10/hr. After receiving his first paycheck he told himself, “There has to be a better life out there” – so having said that he went out and found it. He then had several long-term occupations which included being a manager of Personal Finance Company for over 10 years. By the age of 25 years old, he was managing a million-dollar finance corporation with only a high school education. Next, he worked for the US Treasury, as an Internal Revenue Treasury Agent for over 25 years, this was his favorite job. After retirement, he then opened his own business – an Income Tax and Notary Service.

He learned to play golf and always enjoyed working on his house and yard. He also loved to work out with weights. He enjoyed watching all type of westerns and war movies. He volunteered many years of coaching Pop Warner and High School Football and loved mentoring the young football players. He loved UCLA Sports and was always happy when they beat USC in any sport. Most importantly he was a family man and loved all his family. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather, uncle, cousin, and friend. Family gatherings and holidays remained something he always looked forward to throughout his lifetime.

He passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his loved ones. He is preceded in death by his parents, Camilo and Catalina Torres and his older brother Richard. He is survived by his wife Conception Torres, his daughters Salina and Christina Torres, and son George (daughter-in-law Rose) Torres. His granddaughters: Sharmaine, Alexandra, Yessenia, Mallory, Jasmine, Anaisse, Sadoria. His grandsons: George III, Joseph, and Jose. Great grandsons: Raymond, Jacob, Joshua, Dominic, and Shiloh. Also survived by younger brother Larry Torres, many cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends.