Torre the 'Fisherman' Dies at 63

Marion Nuterangelo Torre met her future husband when they were teenagers. During their courtship, Rudolph Torre Sr.  took Marion hunting at the Water Company property in Hamden.

“It was the first time I ever saw a red fox,” she said. “I was left in my tracks and he said to me, 'Don't be afraid, let's just be quiet and he's gonna go away.' And low and behold, that is what happened.”

They were married on July 4, 1968, and Torre said her husband would profess his love to her every single day for the next 43 years. The couple had two children, Rudolph B. Torre Jr. and the late Renee Torre.

Torre Sr. died March 9 at Yale-New Haven Hospital.

He was a carpenter, working at several different locations throughout his career, including East Haven Builders Supply. Torre worked hard, but he loved to play hard, too, said his wife. He played recreational basketball throughout junior high and high school, and learned to hunt and fish as a young child.

Marion Torre said as soon as his grandsons were born -- he had four -- he taught them everything he knew about fishing.

“He taught them all his tricks, what lures or what bait to use,” she said.

The couple lived with their children and grandchildren in a raised ranch house in East Haven. Torre cooked many meals for her husband and there was nothing he didn't enjoy, she said, if only because she made it.

“No matter what I ever put together for him, his famous remarks were always, 'You're the best cook. No matter what, you could put anything together to make it taste delicious,'” she said.

Marion and Rudolph traveled for 10 years.  They made three trips to Aruba, several to Virginia Beach and two to Sanibel Island, Fla. Their last trip together was to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, but the most memorable, said Torre, was the first visit to Aruba. They hadn't gone away together in years, and she said it was like a second honeymoon in which they reconnected and enjoyed paradise. Things were not always perfect, but Torre said her husband learned an important lesson in recovery that he recited frequently: One day at a time.

“We had a difficult journey,” she said. “We found that there was a better life for all of us once he got into recovery, and that's when he lived his life to the fullest. He was humble about his recovery and we just lived for our family. We lived for one another.”

When their daughter died, Rudolph Torre built a stone garden in the family's front yard with a butterfly house. His wife said every time they thought of their daughter, they'd see a butterfly in the garden. She said she hopes she will have a similar experience with her husband, but she is taking it “one day at a time."

Other than his wife, Rudolph Torre is survived by his son, Rudolph Torre Jr., daughter-in-law Carol Franchi Torre, sister, Regina Stebbins; and grandsons Dominic, Rudy III and Matthew Torre and Christopher Franchi.