My dad, Douglas Torres, was born in Oakland, California on December 3, 1946 to Mary and Frank Torres of San Leandro. As a child, he excelled at the steel guitar and bowling. By his teen years, he was already hard at work as an employee in his parents bowling alley in Fremont and playing paid gigs as a guitarist. His dedication to sharing his talents and hard work would remain a constant theme throughout his life.
While in college, he had his own guitar studio and a Ford Mustang fastback. His dream was to become an educator, so despite offers to join the Don Ho band in Hawaii, my father chose to attend Cal State Hayward to get his teaching degree. The university also taught him about love at first site when he spotted my mom, Marilyn, in a choir class at Cal State Hayward. They courted for two years before getting married in December of 1969. Following their marriage, they resided in Castro Valley for a brief period before purchasing a home in Fremont. In April 1973 they welcomed their daughter, my sister Jennifer. Then I was born in December 1977. My dad supported us by commuting every morning to San Bruno to work as a teacher at Belle Air, El Crystal, Crestmoor and John Muir Elementary Schools. His favorite age to teach was the Fourth Grade and he enjoyed California History. In the evening he would shift to teaching adults guitar at the community college level.
In the late 1960’s, the guitar was gaining notoriety as an instrument for classical music, although had yet to become ubiquitous in this regard. By establishing Classical Guitar programs at three community colleges (Foothill College, Deanza College and Ohlone College) he fostered a classical guitar community at Bay Area institutions of higher learning as well as the Silicon Valley. Of the three colleges, Ohlone College in Fremont was dad’s favorite and he stayed on teaching classical guitar there for 51 years.
I fondly recall my dad working all the time but still plenty of energy for jammed packed weekends water skiing, bowling, visiting museums, attending Operas, A’s games, shopping for antiques and having barbecues in the backyard. Nobody had a battery like my dad and he worked hard so he could play harder with his family.
The sudden death of my mom last March was devastating to dad, who was already facing metastatic cancer and heart failure. His health declined rapidly and he was hospitalized a month after the death of his wife of 55 years. However, he was discharged and left in my care.
Given approximately 100 days to live, my Dad and I called this period “Bonus Time.” During this time, we watched many shows and movies that he had never seen. He enjoyed comedies like The Office and Jack Black’s Nacho Libre, to anime like Spy x Family. He also learned how to play Animal Crossing New Horizons on the Nintendo Switch, spending hours fishing in game. As for out of the house activities, Doug loved Costco hotdogs with mustard and relish. He would also frequent a small cafe in Tracy near the Blast From The Past used record store. Here he would drink his favorite Earl Grey tea and then peruse around looking at records. His other favorite cafe was Cafe Borrone in Menlo Park where he would join me on Sundays for Earl Grey and garlic bread. Outside of food places, Doug loved going to Dave & Busters. While his grandkids ran around, he would sit at the Star Trek coin pusher collecting the character cards. He filled a binder halfway with all the cards he collected. When it was baseball season, we went as a family to the Stockton Ports games. He had a blast when we brought Lola, our dog, to one of the games. For Lilianya’s birthday in July, we all went to the Micke Grove Zoo in Lodi. We barbecued hotdogs and he got to chat with many of his 13 grandchildren. During the holidays, we went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, ate Thanksgiving dinner at a fancy hotel buffet, and then went to Thinker Toys in Carmel. On his birthday, December 3rd, he and I went to David Benoit’s Christmas Tribute to Charlie Brown at Yoshi’s in Oakland. Later on in December, for his and Marilyn’s anniversary, we went to the San Francisco Ballet to see the Nutcracker. Even though the power was out, he still really enjoyed the performance. It meant a lot to him since he used to go there with his wife, Marilyn. Along with the Nutcracker, they also used to go visit their horse, Cinnamon. So, we would drive him almost weekly to visit her. He loved animals and getting the chance to feed Cinnamon a few carrots always brightened his day. Cinnamon wasn’t the only animal he adored. Back at home he would relax on the couch with Lola the dog. The pair became practically inseparable after bonding over blueberry muffins. Bonus Time ended up lasting for nine fun packed months.
Among all the role models who have shaped my character, none has had a greater impact than my father. A true renaissance man, he introduced me to programming on our Apple IIe and took me hiking in the hills to unearth fossils. He taught me how to throw a baseball and how to fish, instilling in me a love for the outdoors. His passion for chess and guitar has significantly influenced my professional journey. Most importantly, my father demonstrated the values of respect and commitment through his actions—never raising a hand to my mother, remaining faithful in his marriage, and working harder than anyone I have ever known.
Doug Torres was preceded in death by his father, his mother, and his wife. Frank Torres died on April 21st, 2004. Twenty years later, Mary Torres died on June 22nd, 2024. Lastly, his wife, Marilyn Torres, died on March 19th, 2025.
Memories of my father, Doug, endure in both my family and that of my older sister, Jennifer. She and her husband, John, have a wonderful family that includes their children: Berkeley, Savannah, Travis, Dakota, Jackson, Rio, Alton, Diego, Aurora, and Brighton. Meanwhile, my wife, Meghan, and I are proud parents to Rosaleia, Lilianya, and Leonis. My father’s legacy will continue to live on through us all.