Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, June 24, 2023

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Mountain View News Saturday, June 24, 2023 

WALKING SIERRA MADRE - The Social Side

by Deanne Davis

REMEMBRANCE:


ADOLPH TORRES

My wonderful father-in-law, Adolph Torres, passed 
away peacefully on June 11, 2023

Adolph brought joy to many in our lives, especially 
Ruth, his wife of over 65 years, his children, and his 
grandchildren. 

We meet many people in our lifetimes. Some are 
acquaintances, a few become friends, and there 
are some we wish we had never met at all. But, of 
the people we meet, how many have inspired you 
or profoundly impacted your life? Maybe a few. 
Maybe none. 

I consider myself one of the lucky ones because 
Adolph Torres had a profound impact on my life. 
His positive attitude and love for life every day inspired 
me. And I mean every day. The so-called 
“little things in life” weren’t little to him…they 
were important. Adolph enjoyed them equally, 
whether it was a parade, a beautiful flower, or a 
fresh cup of coffee. 

And believe me, Adolph loved his coffee. He would 
judge a restaurant by how the coffee was and how 
quickly it was poured into his cup, and he wouldn’t 
hesitate to send back lukewarm coffee. So, when I 
was looking for his blessing to marry his daughter, 
Vanessa, I did the most logical thing. I took him to 
Starbucks.

My wife Vanessa is a teacher. She spent a good portion 
of her career with 4th and 5th graders. Adolph 
and Ruth volunteered in her classes for many years, 
and Adolph was up for anything. He wouldn’t hesitate 
to draw, paint, make crafts, or wear a silly hat 
for the kids. It came easy to him because he was a 
kid at heart. 

He loved Disneyland, fireworks on the 4th of July, 
dressing up for Halloween, and opening gifts on 
Christmas. And in a heartbeat, he would dress up 
as a pirate to join in the imaginations of his grandchildren 
and often would have no problem keeping 
up with their energy.

Adolph enjoyed painting. His prime focus was nature. 
He often painted scenes that included flowers, 
birds, and beautiful landscapes. He loved Hawaii, 
especially Maui, where he would spend hours staring 
at the ocean, enjoying his coffee. I found myself 
watching him watching the sea. I often wondered if 
he was deep in thought or if he just let go of everything 
and became one with nature. Sunsets were 
his favorite. 

But it wasn’t just Hawaii. Anywhere Adolph was, 
was the place to be, and he often expressed his feelings 
about the moment. “This is great. This is wonderful. 
This is fantastic.” 

UCLA was his place of employment for many years, 
and he was an avid fan of UCLA sports. 

But he wasn’t just a cheerleader for his team, but at 
parades, for his grandchildren’s accomplishments, 
and just about anything. He would cheer and sing 
to our pets; he would cheer at a restaurant when 
his coffee cup was filled; just this past month, while 
staying in the hospital for the first time in his 92 
years, Adolph cheered for General Patton while 
watching his favorite movie on his iPad.

But, most of all, Adolph Torres loved his wife, Ruth 
Ann. That’s what he called her, or Ruthy Lee. They 
spent 65 beautiful years together, and he loved her 
with all his heart. And I know Ruth loved him with 
all her heart. He was a devoted, kind, caring husband 
who made her smile and laugh often, as he 
did to all of us. 

This is where the inspiration comes from. Being a 
human being is hard. We all have personal challenges 
daily, and the world has been tossing a lot at 
us lately. It’s hard to stay focused on the things that 
truly matter. Taking time out of our busy schedules 
is hard to take a deep breath and admire the things 
around us. The flowers, the birds, the landscapes. 
Sometimes it’s hard to smile or find something to 
laugh at. But Adolph Torres managed to do this every 
day. 

I admit I was jealous of Adolph because I wanted to 
have that excellent attitude every day too. Wouldn’t 
we all? And, I truly know in my heart that if more 
people were like Adolph Torres, the world would be 
a better place.

— Kevin McGuire

“Dads are most ordinary men turned by love 
into heroes, adventurers, storytellers and singers 
of songs.” Pam Brown

Yes, Father’s Day was last week, but I wanted 
to visit it just a little more before we turn the 
page and start thinking about what we’re going 
to do July 4th. Well, we know what we’re 
going to do here in Sierra Madre; we’re going 
to go to the parade!

But first, just a little bit about my dad: He 
was an amazing and acclaimed artist and his 
work is on all the walls of my house. He was 
a storyteller with an endless supply of true 
and astonishing tales. He sent me many letters 
describing his childhood and his dad and 
the early wild days of California and Mexico, 
which I turned into a very successful Kindle 
book: A Treasure Map, A Drunken Owl and 
47 Rattlers in a Bag! He was a covert member 
of the CIA, an officer in the Chinese Army, an 
engineer and in his 80’s took a trip around the 
world on a container ship and ended up being 
the second mate. He was a gardener, a compassionate 
man who fed all the immigrants 
from below the border who came to his lime ranch in Valley Center looking for work. He 
would engage them in Spanish and hear some truly excruciating stories of deprivation, terror 
and hope for a better future. My sister, Heidi, and I miss him so much. 

If you didn’t read the Father’s Day columns in last week’s Mountain Views News by Christopher 
Nyerges, Peter Dills and Harvey Hyde, you can still go online: www.mtnviewsnews.com 
and read them now. 

So great to have Harvey Hyde back in the paper. His comments on sports are interesting but, 
even better, he has great life experience and is willing to share it. One of his thoughts from last 
week: “Learning the hard way is not what we want our kids to do, but we want them to know 
things don’t come easy. You’re not a champion by just saying it. Treat people like you want to be 
treated. Life first. Sports later. That kept me on the right side of the tracks.” 

“The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful 
people say no to almost everything.” Warren Buffett

Warren is absolutely right. That applies to fathers, too. John had no trouble saying “NO!” to 
our children when they wanted to do something that was a really bad idea. 

The picture this week is one I really wanted you all to see, my grandson-in-law, Trevor Johnson, 
who is married to our granddaughter, Ashley. She is the labor and delivery nurse when 
she’s not having another adorable child, like this brand-new baby, Brannan Austin Johnson, 
born May 21st. Trevor is such a good dad and this picture of him with the new baby and big 
sisters, Addie and Charlotte is something I know you’ll enjoy seeing. 

The weather is still doing odd things, a little sun, a little gloom, but, friends and neighbors, 
enjoy these last shreds of gloom…the heat is coming! Think watermelon, popsicles, barbeques 
and swimming. 

One last observation: My yard is overrun with lizards. Fat ones, skinny ones, and they’re all 
doing that cute little pushup thing they do. Live Science tells us that “Lizards work out for 
the same reason a guy at the gym might: as a display of strength. And with lizards, as can be 
the case with men, the push-ups also mean "get out of my territory." A new study finds some 
lizards make a morning and evening routine out of the displays.”

It feels sort of Jurassic Park to me. 

A positive thought to end the week…

Everything seems much easier with a smile. Smiling makes you happier. Smiling can drastically 
reduce stress. Smiling helps you live longer. Smiling decreases blood pressure. Smiling 
can boost morale. A smile costs nothing but gives a lot. A smile takes only a moment but the 
memory of it can last forever. No one is so rich or so mighty that they can get along without 
a smile. A smile brings rest to the weary, cheer to the discouraged, sunshine to the sad and is 
nature’s best cure for trouble. So start smiling!

If you’d like to take a look at my dad’s stories, here’s where to find them: Amazon.com where 
everything in the world is now available!

My book page: Amazon.com: Deanne Davis

Where you’ll find the Emma Gainsworth Kindle novelettes, 

Along with other goodies like “A Treasure Map, A Drunken Owl

And 47 Rattlers in A Bag” True Tales of Early California


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com