Gary Torre

Gary Jerome Torre Died of heart failure in his home in the late evening of January 19th, 2013. He was born in Oakland on October 14th, 1919, the son of Giove Mario Torre of San Francisco and Jessie Lillian Garibotto of Stockton. He was the valedictorian of his Oakland High School class of 1937. During high school, he developed a lifelong delight in theater, playing Oberon in A Midsummer Night's Dream and copywriting two plays: "Ginnie" and "Royal Rebellion: A Satirical Fantasy." He graduated with a BA in English from UC Berkeley, in 1941. He served as a lieutenant and lead navigator of B 24s in the 467th Bomb Group in WW II, flying some 30 combat missions in Europe. He graduated from UC Law School (Boalt Hall) in 1948 and clerked for Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas from 1948-1949. On Christmas Day, 1948, he married Caroline de Saussure Goodrich of Saratoga, California. They took up residence in the Bay Area in 1949 and he joined the admiralty firm of Lillick, McHose, Wheat, Adams, and Charles (since merged into Nixon Peabody) in 1949, retiring as senior partner in 1982. He was well known for his legal work for the Pacific Maritime Association and the Sierra Club. He served for 12 years on the Board of the Sierra Club Foundation, from 1969-1981, the last three as its President. With his wife, he shared a zest for travel, a love of art, a passion for opera, the symphony, ballet, and theater, and a special gift for friendship. His house and his heart were open and giving and he will be sorely missed by many. He is survived by Caroline (his beloved wife of 64 years), his three children-Michael, Alicia, and Nicholas-their spouses, 4 grandchildren and numerous nephews and nieces. A funeral mass is scheduled to be celebrated on Saturday, January 26th, at 10 AM, at Corpus Christi Church, in Oakland. Donations in his name can be made to the Sierra Club Foundation or to the San Francisco Opera.