Nicholas James Torchia

1983 - 2021

NICHOLAS JAMES TORCHIA

October 6, 1983 July 30, 2021

Nick was the fifth child of Richard Torchia and Kathy Torchia; he had two brothers, Sam and Ben, and three sisters, Kristin, Gina, and Brady.

He was born and raised in Bakersfield. He attended Stine Elementary, Thompson Jr. High, and graduated from Ridgeview High School in 2002.

From early on, Nick played soccer and was a terrific swimmer. Every summer he and his siblings were on the Saunders Swim Team. He played AYSO soccer and then high school soccer and enjoyed it very much.

Nick was the kind of kid who always wanted to learn things on his own. He took every clock apart he could get his hands on, took apart radios and other devices - usually able to put them back together. He was a collector and loved finding neat rocks or wood or marbles or whatever he deemed pretty or unique. Also, he was adventurous and we should have known from the time he was three and climbed up on the roof that he would end up being a rock climber. He was never afraid to try new things. As he got older he delved into and perfected the skills of rock climbing, hiking, and biking - doing triathlons and marathons several times. In addition, he and his siblings began snowboarding and in the last several years, he became a paddle boarder, and also a kayaker. Outdoors was his living space and he loved everything it offered.

If he was inside, he never was idle and he started a new hobby of wood working, but all the wood he used was scavenged from the forest and roadside wherever it was down and available. He recently made beautiful manzanita frames, a wooden barn door, and a dog washing station, and created a new paddle for a new kayak he had purchased. Everything Nick made was perfect, unique, and beautiful. He had no formal training, but learned to do so many novel things on his own.

During his life he was in the Navy for five years, he married and has a daughter, Makayla, and was enrolled at Clovis Community College to become a psychologist. He graduated Teen Challenge, and he was a complete and fervent follower of Our Lord. He witnessed to anyone he met or was with.

It has been said that no one ever had a bad thing to say about Nick and he never spoke ill of anyone ever. He was a kind, generous and loving man who wanted his family to live together on a compound and help one another. He was smart, inquisitive, helpful, insightful, perceptive, sensitive, loving and a seeker of truth. His short life was filled with many great adventures and struggles which made him stronger and able to persevere and seek the Lord.

His death was sudden and now Nick is home with the Lord.

He will truly be missed. He leaves behind his dear friend and great love, Allyson Chun, brothers and sisters-in-law, many aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews, cousins, daughter, and grandfather, Bill Holbrook.

Services will be August 27 at the Bakersfield National Cemetery at 1:15 pm, and a church service in Fresno at The Well Fig Garden on August 28 at 1:00 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Nicks name to Central Valley Teen Challenge, PO Box 391, Reedley, CA 93654.

www.bakersfield.com/obits