Alejandro Torres

Alejandro “Alex” Torres, 71, formerly of Lubbock, Texas, died May 15, 2014 at Tomball Regional Hospital following complications due to his long struggle with diabetes. A rosary will be held in his honor on Monday, May 19th at the Brookside Funeral Home Family Chapel. The funeral service will be at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, May 20th at the Brookside Funeral Home Family Chapel.

Alex was born on February 26, 1943, in Harlingen, Texas to Catarino and Fransica Torres. He was one of seven children: Catarino Torres Jr., Angie Brannock (deceased), Carol Anderson, Gilbert Torres (deceased), Balde Torres, and JB Torres.

In his youth he was a member of Civil Air Patrol. His grandson Winston continued the tradition many years later. Alex loved to read. One of his favorite subjects in school was English. A love of books, learning, and adventures through reading are just a few of the many gifts he passed on to his children and grandchildren. He graduated from Harlingen High School in 1962.

Among his many youthful pastimes, Alex worked as a pin setter in a bowling alley. It was his first “real” job and he earned between 10-15 cents per game. Reflecting on his entry into the workforce he recalled, “To me it was very important and exciting because I was in a totally different environment away from my family. I was kind of stepping into the business world and getting out on my own.”

When asked what job advice he would give to a young person starting a first job he said:

“Be very observant of what takes place, because a lot of times they may not tell you everything you need to know. But if you are observant and apply the little extra and show initiative, then I think you begin to get more job satisfaction even on your first job”

That advice exemplified Alex’s character and the way he committed himself fully to everything he did.

Alex attended San Antonio College and the University of Texas in Austin. He was a loyal and devoted Longhorn fan to the end.

He married Erlina Almager at St. Joseph’s Mission in Hereford, Texas on December 8, 1966. When they first met, she was a cashier at the local Ben Franklin five and dime. He worked for the Texas Employment Commission. He asked her out eight times before she finally agreed to have a cup of coffee with him.

Alex and his wife, Erlina moved from Hereford to Lubbock, Texas in 1970 shortly after the city was hit by a devastating tornado. They lived there, raised their children and retired there until 2013. That year they moved to Spring, Texas where their daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter reside.

Alex worked for the Texas Employment Commission (now the Texas Workforce Commission) for 33 years. He started with TEC in 1965 and continued there until his retirement in 1998.

He mentored and helped to train many young people through the Job Corp program.

In 1998 he collaborated with various local social agencies and groups to help form the Economic Development and Support Services Center. Its purpose was to offer job placement, education and training resources supportive services for local citizens.

He endured a brief retirement before returning to work first with Goodwill Industries and then with the West Texas Community Work Force.

In addition to his long standing work with TEC and the Texas Workforce Commission,

Alex devoted much of his time and his talents to assisting those in need, especially the homeless. Alex worked with the Homeless Consortium of Lubbock (now the South Plains Homeless Consortium) in various capacities. He served as the organization’s publicity chairman and helped to organize various meetings and conferences. His efforts helped to highlight the subject of homelessness in Lubbock. “I think statistics a lot of times don’t mean a lot unless there is a human face.” It was that human face that inspired and motivated him on many levels. Whether he was working with city officials, charitable groups, and medical professionals towards large-scale solutions or simply serving coffee and sandwiches to those in need from his office conference room, he was always serving.

Throughout his career Alex was recognized by many local organizations for his contributions to the community. He received recognition for his service and support from the Job Service Employer Committee, and an Award of Merit in 1996 from the International Association of Personnel in Employment Security. In 1996 he was also recognized by the Volunteer Center of Lubbock for his support of the Leadership Connection, Board Leadership Enhancement Program. In 2008 the West Texas Community Work Force, of which he was a part, received the ADA Champion Award for outstanding accomplishments toward independent living.

He was a member of the Lions Club, Kiwanis Club and LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens).

Alex was an advocate for the homeless, a social activist, and unrepentant workaholic.

He did not devote much time to personal hobbies. He played baseball as a youth and coached Little League baseball at one time. He was an occasional bowler and golfer. As a spectator he hovered closer to professional status. His great loves included the Dallas Cowboys and UT Longhorns. He would grudgingly watch and cheer for Texas Tech unless the Longhorns were involved.

Alex loved cinema and film noir in particular. He was especially fond of Humphrey Bogart films, even if Bogart’s was not always his favorite character in the film. In Casablanca, for example, it was Claude Rains’ Captain Louis Renault who charmed and entertained him most.

Renault: Everybody is to leave here immediately! This cafe is closed until further notice. Clear the room, at once!

Rick: How can you close me up? On what grounds?

Renault: I’m shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!

Employee of Rick's: [hands Renault money] Your winnings, sir.

Renault: Oh, thank you, very much. Everybody out at once!

Alex was a kind and loving father and grandfather. He was patient, understanding and encouraging. He managed to create a balance of both support and high expectations that challenged his children to succeed. He often played the role of impartial intermediary between Mother and daughters, to the relief of all involved. He had the power to amaze and impress his children with a seemingly endless knowledge of trivia and facts. He was renowned for his sense of humor. In all honesty, he had a corny sense of humor, but that was what made it so loveable. He enjoyed his jokes more than anyone else, and it was his enjoyment of his jokes that we enjoyed.

Alex did manage to find time in his retirement to enter into something new – collecting. He collected scores of random esoteric objects with one primary goal in mind. That goal was eBay. Alex was never hesitant to learn new things, and with the appearance of the online auction he discovered a new challenge. He scoured garage and estate sales always in search of something new, old, rare, banal, simple and complex. With treasures in hand he would return home to photograph, describe and post his finds then wait patiently for a response. On many occasions he regaled family and friends with stories of his fifty cent or two dollar purchases, which sold within hours for anywhere from fifty dollar to two hundred dollars. He was masterful at seeing potential in the most obscure items where other people would walk by without a single glance. A naturally curious mind, the willingness to see beyond the surface of things, and patience exemplified his personality and explain how he turned his hobby into yet another challenging form of work.

Alex was a member of St. Anne’s Catholic Church in Tomball. In Lubbock he attended Holy Spirit Catholic Church and Christ the King Cathedral. He was a third degree member of the Knights of Columbus. While not always overt about it, his faith was a large part of his life. His life and work exemplified his belief in being a servant of God.

He is survived by his wife, Erlina, daughter and son-in-law Sandra and Randy Mulsow of Lubbock; daughter and son-in-law Lora and Alvin White of Spring; grandchildren Camilia “Alix” Donahew and Winston Donahew of Lubbock; and Presley White of Spring. His “adopted” grandchildren Alvin White III, Michael White and Catherine White of Spring. Brothers and sister: Catarino Torres Jr. of Texas City, Carol Anderson of Dallas, Balde Torres of Sugarland, and JB Torres of Greenbay, Wisconsin.

The family suggests that friends wishing to remember Alex Torres and his life of service make donations to the South Plains Homeless Consortium in his name.

A memorial service for Alex Torres in Lubbock, Texas is pending. Anyone wishing to participate, share stories and celebrate his life can contact his daughter, Sandra Mulsow at 806-392-3788 or [email protected].