Martha Denise Abril Torrey

Martha (Marty) Abril Torrey (80) of Lakeland, Tennessee, passed away December 17, 2023, after a brief illness.
Born May 10, 1943, in Merced, California, Marty was the second of eight children born to Raul and Irene Abril. She had four brothers (Danny, Richard, Ruben, and Paul) and three sisters (Mickie, Mary, and Betty Ann), and her entire family was very close. She attended El Capitan High School and Merced Junior College before moving to San Francisco to begin working. During her time there, she served as a legal secretary and as a flight attendant for Trans International Airlines.
One evening in 1970, she was between flights and was out with friend Jane Markiano at The Mixatorium in Merced when she met this Air Force first lieutenant, a young man from Tennessee who had just completed his final checkride for upgrade into the KC-135 aircraft. Opposites definitely attracted in this instance, and they began dating two months later. And one year from the date of their initial meeting, on May 15, 1971, Marty married that southern boy, Creighton (Gene) Eugene Torrey, Jr., at Castle Air Force Base in Atwater, California, a day that began their fifty-two-plus years of marriage.
Gene and Marty traveled all over the country their first few years of marriage, living on Air Force bases in Blytheville, Arkansas; Selma, Alabama; San Antonio, Texas; Redlands, California; and Yuba City, California. During their time in Selma, they had two children: Dax Allan (48) and Sonia Abril (46). When Dax was born, Marty, who was hoping for a girl, was initially upset, but as soon as she held her son, she instantly fell in love and became a great mother. She got her initial wish just eighteen months later as she had a beautiful daughter, Sonia, and the Torrey family was complete.
In 1978, Gene got a job with Braniff Airlines, and the family moved to Memphis, Gene's hometown. Marty dedicated herself to becoming the best mother that she could be. While Gene was out of town flying, she took care of her children and the home, and Gene always had complete trust and security that everything would be all right when he returned. As the children started school, Marty often volunteered as school room mother, looking to serve and help whenever she could. She even started a coaching career when Sonia was in the third grade as she, along with friend Brenda White, coached the Harding Raleigh girls basketball team. That group went on to win the league title, and Marty retired as a championship coach, a fact that she always enjoyed bringing up to her son, who later became a coach.
As her children grew up, Marty found other outlets for her time. She started bowling in the Harding Mother's League, a group of ladies who would bowl in Bartlett once a week throughout the school year. Her team, the Pen Pals, won their share of league championships. Her 265 game some years ago still marks the family's high game, a point of pride for her. She always looked forward to trips with the bowling ladies to out-of-town tournaments in Evansville, Indiana; Corinth, Mississippi; and cities around Tennessee.
She also enjoyed walking and working out. Whether she was walking around malls or walking around the neighborhood, she stayed in great shape and logged several miles each week. She also enjoyed visiting her gym and was just getting back into working out after her gym had reopened recently.
Marty particularly savored her time volunteering at St. Francis Hospital-Bartlett and did so until the pandemic suspended their volunteering program. She always was very charitable and supported many foundations, including the Memphis Union Mission, St. Jude, and the Mid-South Food Bank, just to name a few.
Not even a diagnosis of wet macular degeneration could slow Marty down. Despite the gradual decline of her eyesight over the last fifteen years, she maintained her full schedule and still made the best of her situation. She even volunteered for a research study involving stem cells, and the results were remarkable for her, stagnating the advancement of the degeneration and allowing her to continue doing some of what she loved, particularly looking for sales and shopping. She was also part of a neighborhood group, the Bunkettes, that got together once a month to play Bunko, talk, and enjoy each-other's company.
Despite all of her interests, her family and faith were most important to her. She and Gene never went on vacation without their children, including an eight-day river cruise that the four took just six months ago throughout Germany, Austria, and Hungary. A regular attendee at worship service at her church before the pandemic, she continued with daily devotionals and quiet time with the Lord at home following the pandemic.
Marty will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her. Her sense of humor, quick wit, loving compassion, and incredible memory made her so special, and the void that her passing creates will never be filled within her loved ones.
Funeral services for Marty will be held Friday, December 22, at 10:00 a.m. at Memphis Funeral Home and Memorial Gardens, 3700 North Germantown Parkway, Bartlett, Tennessee 38133, with a private graveside committal for only family following the service.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations to the American Macular Degeneration Foundation in memory of Marty, Chambers Chapel Methodist Church cemetery fund, or to charities of the donor's choice in Marty's memory.