Reinaldo Maria Torres Espinosa

Dad was a good provider and a good family oriented person. He loved our immediate family as well as the extended family, on both sides. He was close with his siblings and cousins as well as with mom's siblings. Dad loved to party and he loved the ladies. This caused my parents divorce right after I was born. However, Mom adored dad. She remained faithful to him and they remarried when I was seven. Ray was born when I was nine, in 1955. Our home was filled with family and friends most weekends. Our trips to Puerto Rico and the family from there visiting NY created special memories.

Dad served in the United States Army from January 22, 1941 until his honorable discharge on June 21, 1945, from Fort Dix, New Jersey. His record indicates that he was a Technician Fourth Grade, Headquarters Company, 423rd Infantry, served in: Normandy, North France, Rhineland, Sicily, Tunisia. He earned an American Defense Service Medal, European-American-Middle Eastern Service Medal and a Good Conduct Medal. Dec 12 to 24, 1942 he was in Africa; Nov 11 - 23, 1943 =Europe; May 23, 1945 back to US.

Ray and I were very close to our parents. Their early parting left a big empty hole in our hearts that never healed.

Reason for dad and most of his siblings having the name Maria. 11/28/2015- My dad said that the reason all of his siblings, except for Eloina, had the name "Maria" was that his mother had suffered one or two miscarriages after Eloina so, she promised "La Virgen Milagrosa" that she would give her children the name of "Maria", if all of her future pregnancies came to fruition. by Elvi Torres Riordan