José L. Torres Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

José L. Torres, 80, of Syracuse, NY passed away peacefully at Crouse Hospital after a battle of recurrent lung cancer. José was born on July 20, 1941 in Cidra, Puerto Rico to the late Evangeline Hernandez and Joaquin Torres. He later moved to Spanish Harlem at the age of 18 and married the love of his life, Gloria, at 21. José worked as a superintendent for Franklin Plaza in NYC for many years and after his retirement, he and his wife relocated to Syracuse for fresh air and a slower pace of life. José enjoyed playing and listening to aguinaldo, salsa, and bolero music. He also took much pleasure in dancing, gardening, doing home improvements, playing pranks, and of course, making and drinking wine. Most of all, he enjoyed a nice BBQ with family and friends. If you were fortunate enough to know José, you knew that he was always willing to lend a helping hand. His biggest philosophy was to be kind, honest and always help one another. If anyone were to run into him, he would never ask you about the superficial things in life, instead he would ask… “You happy?” That was all José ever cared about. To say that he had a heart of gold would be an understatement. Growing up, José didn’t have much; he knew what it was like to have nothing, and in turn, made him a very generous person. José would give you the shirt off his own back and go without, just to see you smile. He was known for sharing bottles of his homemade wine and BBQ ribs and would even give spending money to children. Kids of all ages loved interacting with him for this very reason! José lived for his great-grandchildren. In addition to his parents, José is predeceased by his daughter, Mary Lou Torres; his brothers, Benigno Torres, Salvador Torres, Maximino Torres, Nicolas Torres, Alberto Torres, Marcial Torres, Marcialito Colon; and his sisters, Juanita Colón, Guadalupe Torres, Lucia Torres, Felicita Torres. He is survived by his beautiful wife, Gloria Torres; his son, Joel Torres; his granddaughter, Debbie; 3 great-grandchildren; his sisters, Maria Torres and Marta Torres; along with several nieces and nephews. Words will never be able to express how much he will be missed, from his amazing sense of humor, his strong belly laugh, and shaky-shaky dancing. Missing him will hurt immensely but we will always think of him with great joy because of the light he brought to all our lives.

José L. Torres

July 20, 1941 - July 11, 2022