She was born Feb. 21, 1953, in Elkhart to Ivan and Lillian (Brumbaugh) Carlson. On Jan. 29, 1972, in Elkhart, she married Rene M. Torres.

He survives, along with one son, Ian (Lauren) Torres of Chicago; one daughter, Monica Torres, at home; and two brothers, Kent (Gudrun) Carlson of Indianapolis and Norman (Virginia) Carlson of Elkhart.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Ivan and Lillian; and one sister, Donna Johnson.

Friends may call from 3 to 7 p.m. Saturday at Billings Funeral Home, 812 Baldwin St., Elkhart. A funeral Mass will take place at 5 p.m. Sunday at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, with the Rev. Robert Van Kempen of St. Mary's Catholic Church, Bristol, officiating. Cremation will follow services. Billings Funeral Home, 812 Baldwin St., Elkhart, is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Torres graduated from Elkhart Central High School in 1972. She then worked at several Elkhart area banks as a document proofer and decoder. After her marriage to Rene, she assisted in establishing and maintaining several of the family businesses, including DMR Body Shop (later Regency Auto Sales) and Torres Financial Services, where she was a licensed insurance agent. Her clerical skills also allowed her to serve at Animal Aid Clinic South, Elkhart, as a receptionist, as well as a medical records clerk with Elkhart General Hospital's River Pointe Heart Specialists.

Mrs. Torres was a member of St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Elkhart, where she sang and played guitar with the church's "Sounds of Celebration" music group. She also served on the parents council at Goshen College, was an active Concord High School Band Booster and assisted her husband in assigning referees for IHSAA and U.S. Soccer Federation soccer games. She was an avid soccer fan, floral and plant gardener, and pet lover, having either a dog or cat nearly her entire life.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to the Humane Society of Elkhart County or the National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, 2085 Adelbert Road #419, Cleveland, OH, 44106. Online condolences may be sent by visiting www.billingsfuneralhome.com.