RICARDO ERNESTO TORRES

1966 - 2022

Ricardo Ernesto Torres, better known as Rich, passed away October 22, 2022, after a cruelly rapid fight with ALS.
Rich was a 1984 graduate of Sonora High School, and graduated from UC Davis, which is where he met his wife, Donni. They shared a love for travel, food, and fun. Their date nights were legendary, and, they've been told, inspirational. He passed on so much of that vitality to son Carter and daughter Frankie. He made sure they experienced the world, and that they always knew the comfort of home. He loved them fiercely and was so proud of the adults they have become.
Upon graduation, Rich took a job with Cargill and embarked on a 33-year career, much of it in Minnesota. The number of people whose lives he touched in his 33 years there is immeasurable. But one indication was the epic outpouring of support from his coworkers upon his diagnosis. From meals to yard work parties to ALS fundraisers raising hundreds of thousands of dollars, the Cargill family was there.
A proud member of the Unicorn Squad, Rich was a terrific friend. Notorious for stealing the check, he loved to treat people, and was a great tipper. On the yearly Vegas trips, there were dealers who would recognize him and welcome him back to their craps tables. He studied up before every trip, approaching it like he might the futures market, aggressive and optimistic. He won often, but even if he lost, he always had a laugh.
Rich loved being in the water. Whether it was doing deep shark rolls with the kids in a pool, free diving far deeper than he should to retrieve a dropped spear gun, or swimming to the horizon and back, it brought him joy. He and Donni loved to scuba dive and hold hands.
In the past several years, he discovered a passion for gardening. He approached the subject with little planning and lots of enthusiasm, especially when it came to killing weeds. Many a neighbor witnessed Rich using a flamethrower to torch the unwanted plants in his yard. The cigar in his mouth was a nice touch.
His affinity for flame should come as no surprise. While in college, Rich spent summers fighting wildfires for the US Dept of Forestry. He was present at some of the largest fires in American history, including the Siege of 1987 and the Yellowstone Fires of 1988.
Rich was a heavy-duty runner, often seen accompanied by various panting doodles. He ran every Twin Cities marathon starting in 1998, including the virtual one in 2020. He only skipped once, to attend Carter's boot camp graduation.
An assumed running injury is what sent him to the doctor in early 2021. His hip hurt, and he wanted it fixed. When orthopedists couldn't figure it out, they cautiously suggested he see a neurologist. On Oct 1, 2021, he was diagnosed with ALS.
They told us we had as many as 5 years - 18 months at least. He made it 384 days.
On September 10th, Donni and Rich's 28th wedding anniversary, Rich had his last meal: champagne and wedding cake. He never ate again but hung on for 42 days, 4 without water. His hospice team was amazed, and he challenged them at every turn. Those who knew him are not surprised: Rich was stubborn, determined, strong. He was bullish in the markets, and bullish to the end. He may have seemed unique to his loving care team, but to us he was just a true Unicorn.
Rich is survived by wife Donni, son Carter, daughter Francesca and dog Stevie Nicks . Predeceased by his father Frank, he is also survived by his mother Elvia, siblings Ylianna, Frank (Jenny), Enrique (Lucy) and Roberto; nieces and nephews Marisa (Jory), Marco, Jose, Alyssa, Michael (Olivia), and Mateo, and great-niece Brooklyn. And, of course, the Unicorns.
So often in the last year he expressed sorrow at not seeing what would happen next. He lamented not getting to see how his Cargill team would grow the company. He was so sad that he didn't get to take that Amalfi Coast trip with Donni. His heart broke thinking that he wouldn't get to experience Carter's transformation after the Navy, or to see how Frankie's singing dreams would manifest. For those of us left behind, we owe it to him to be the best and live the best we can.
A party in Rich's honor will be held Thursday, December 29th. More details to follow on his CaringBridge site, but there will be Vegas pimp shirts, gin and tonics, and probably some Billy Joel.
Don't be sad, friends. He is running with Penny and Monte now.
"Loving you changed my life. It should come as no surprise that losing you has done the same." -Chloe Frayne.