Anthony "Tony" Torre

Mass of Christian Burial for Anthony “Tony” Torre will be Thursday, February 9th at 9:30 AM at St. Mary Catholic Church, 242 N. State Street, Painesville.  Family and friends may call from 5:00 – 7:00 PM, Wednesday, February 8th at Spear Mulqueeny Funeral Home, 667 Mentor Ave., Painesville, OH.  Burial will be in Riverside Cemetery.

Born October 8, 1926 in Painesville, he passed away peacefully February 4, 2017 at Wade Park VA Hospital in Cleveland surrounded by his family.

Anthony was a Harvey High School graduate, Class of 1945.  He worked for TRW for 46 years, retiring in 1983.  He loved restoring antique cars, driving the cars in parades, shows, and was a member of numerous car clubs. He enjoyed Bluegrass music, and served in the U. S. Navy during WWII. He was a past Commander of American Legion Post 336 Painesville.

He is survived by his daughter, Mary Louise Torre; sons, Anthony J. (Charlotte) Torre and Jonathan Torre; Grandchildren, Candice Mascarenes, Erica Torre, Anthony S. Torre, Mitchell (Jocelin) Kampman, Haleigh Kampman and Devin H. Torre; great-grandson, Anthony Dill Torre.

Anthony was preceded in death by his wife, Mary Elizabeth (McKay) Torre; brother, Joe Torre; sister, Suzie Torre.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to St. Mary Church, 242 N. State Street, Painesville, OH. 44077.

In Tribute To Tony Torre - A Painesville Treasure

     There may be a lot of old cars sitting by the side of the road this summer.

     There may be a lot of old cars still in “storage” long after this winter’s final snowfall.

     Most of them will be old Ford Model A’s.  Some may be old Ford Model T’s.  All of them will require mechanical attention of some sort but none of them will be able to rely on Tony Torre for help.  No more Tony Torre tows, tune-ups, repairs or quick-fixes.

     There’s a big hurt in the city of Painesville right now because, sadly and suddenly, Tony Torre has passed away. 

     Tony was the go-to-guy for many Northeast Ohio car enthusiasts and many of them relied on him to get and keep their cars running every year --  especially those who have old A’s and T’s that are garaged in the winter and driven only in warm weather.  If you couldn’t bring your car to Tony, he would come to your place to fix it.

     You probably saw many of Tony’s own cars in local parades and community events, car shows, or just around town.  He loved showing them off and would often drive them at lunch time in nice weather, waving and honking as he drove.

     Tony owned over twenty old cars and he drove them all.  If he had any favorites, one might be his 1913 Model T calliope which played organ music --  LOUD  --- and always drew a crowd.  In it, he wore a round, black derby and red suspenders.  Or his 1930 Model A police car, which was an old-fashioned, black-and-white roadster complete with sheriff’s badges and a siren.  He had a wooden rifle in the car and always wore his policeman’s cap when he drove it.   

     However, many would agree that his 1930 Model A taxi cab drew the most attention  --  Tony with his suspenders, cabbie hat and taxi meter  --  the yellow cab with old suitcases strapped to the top and signs all over the car:

    Thirties Taxie Service    NYC To LA or Bust     Cleveland To Alaska     5c mile              

            Driver carries no cash      HE’S MARRIED               

The checkered cab had a siren, a cow horn, and a train whistle which Tony loved to blow to get a reaction from the crowd.

     Tony’s other vehicles include Model A pickup trucks and U.S. mail trucks, gangster cars, a wine-wagon and deluxe roadsters, some Model T’s and a 1903 Sears, 1913 Metz, 1937 Hudson and 1965 Ford Thunderbird.  He often let others drive his cars with one condition - you had to wear the hat that went with the car.

     Tony Torre was born in Painesville in 1927 and still lived in the house he grew up in on Sanford Street.  Besides being a car-guy who could fix about anything and often got cars back on the road using just a wire and some duct tape, he was also a stamp-collector, coin-collector and voice for the people at Painesville’s weekly Council Meetings where he frequently voiced his opinion.  Nearly everyone knew Tony as the WWII Navy veteran who wore his military hat proudly wherever he went.

     Naturally, Tony loved parades and was a regular at the Fairport Mardi Gras, Lake County Fair, Chardon Maple Festival, Geneva Grape Jamboree, and Memorial Day and 4th of July parades in Mentor and Painesville, plus many, many more.  Tony had a great “parade wave” and he will be missed by friends and neighbors of all ages.

     Tony was a “regular” at area restaurants and will be missed there especially.  He also attended all the Friday night car shows at Veteran’s Park where he parked in the same spot every week and talked about his cars to anyone who stopped to talk.  Here, he loved to drive his 1913 Vulcan, probably the only remaining car manufactured in Painesville and which he had to hand-crank to start.

     Tony did not enter his cars at shows just to win a trophy but his eyes sure lit up every time his name was called out.  He has shelves and shelves of trophies and awards in his shop.  Several newspaper articles have been written about his old car and truck restoration projects and he loved the attention his projects brought.

     Tony Torre was one of Painesville’s own and his death leaves a gap in many places and aches in many hearts.

Michael G. Hardy              February 4, 2017              Good friend of Tony Torre

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