Longtime pastor, mid-council executive and PC(USA) national staffer the Rev. Dr. Gary Torrens dies at age 87
The celebration of life service will be June 13 at Peewee Valley Presbyterian Church in Kentucky
LOUISVILLE —The Rev. Dr. Gary David Torrens, a Presbyterian pastor who also served mid councils and on the national staff of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), died on May 27 at age 87.
A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, June 13, at 11 a.m. Eastern Time at Pewee Valley Presbyterian Church, 119 Central Avenue, Pewee Valley, Kentucky. Visitation will be from 9 a.m. through 10:45 a.m. Eastern Time at the church. Following the service, a meal will be served.
Donations in Gary’s name may be made to the Pewee Valley Presbyterian Church Memorial Fund. His complete obituary is here.
The Rev. Dr. Gary Torrens spent the last 60 years as a Presbyterian pastor, an advocate, a teacher, an apostle, and an example. His story is one of sharing God’s love with everyone.
His life began on March 2, 1939 in Cedar Bluffs, Nebraska. He was the oldest son of Leslie and Janet Torrens. His childhood was spent in Wahoo, Nebraska, where he enjoyed all the facets of small-town living. He attended Midland College, the University of Nebraska, Yale Divinity School and McCormick Theological Seminary.
It was in October of 1963, while at Yale that he, along with students from Stanford and Yale, went to Mississippi to participate in the Freedom Vote, a mock election organized to combat the disenfranchisement among African Americans. This experience was a turning point in Gary’s life and the result was his ministry of justice and equality.
He served as associate pastor of West Cincinnati Presbyterian Church during the 1960s before enrolling in McCormick Seminary’s doctoral program. He received his D.Min. and began his service to the larger church. He was Associate Synod Executive of the Synod of the Northeast, Executive Presbyter of the Presbytery of East Iowa and an Associate Stated Clerk of the General Assembly in Louisville, Kentucky. His final position was in the former Office of the General Assembly in the Office of Governing Body Relations, where he worked with all the mid councils of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
When he retired, communications arrived from all over the country, expressing love and appreciation for what Gary meant to individuals personally, and to the greater church. He was a welcoming presence, and always had time to connect, reminisce and laugh.
He was known as a kind and gentle spirit with a non-anxious presence. He was also remembered for his wise words, thoughtful papers, careful truth-telling, creative training and pastoral mentoring. His soft-spoken wisdom, knowledge, commitment and expertise will be greatly missed.
He was predeceased by his parents, Leslie and Janet Torrens, and his first wife, Jeanne.
Left to love and honor his memory are his wife Arlene McAulay Torrens, sons Michael (Claudia Radel) and Timothy, daughters Jennifer Toepfer (Todd) and Debra Semler (Steve), sister Judy Roh, brother Gene Torrens (Becky), grandchildren, great-grandchildren, aunt and uncle and numerous cousins.
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