Billy Ray Torrence, 89, of Mooresville, N.C., a beloved father and grandfather, passed away on February 26, 2024, after a period of declining health.
Bill was born on June 18, 1934, in Mooresville to James Carl Tharpe Torrence and Nancy Rosa Etta Hobbs Torrence. He was a lifelong member of Southside Baptist Church, where his mother and grandmother were charter members.
On Christmas Day 1955, Bill married his childhood sweetheart, Ruth Helen Blackwelder, and they celebrated 64 years of marriage. A hard worker who served in the North Carolina National Guard, Bill retired from K-Mac Services at McGuire Nuclear Station.
Bill enjoyed athletics and, as a youth, played American Legion baseball in Mooresville as well as Church League softball for Southside. He loved cheering for the Davidson Wildcats, Duke Blue Devils, the Atlanta Braves, and the Carolina Panthers. In addition to sports, Bill enjoyed camping vacations at Myrtle Beach, traveling, visiting friends, and caring for family. A giving and family-oriented man, he is remembered by his nieces and nephews for his Christmas Eve phone calls from “Santa Claus.”
In addition to his parents, Bill was preceded in death by his wife, Ruth Blackwelder Torrence; and siblings, Beulah Fink, Ralph Torrence, Jim Torrence, Ann Robinson, Helen Thomas, Betty Mayhew, and Shirley Marlowe.
Left to treasure his memory are his daughter, Renee Torrence Dulin and husband John of Troutman, N.C.; granddaughter, Anna Dulin Milholland and husband Joel of Williamsburg, Va.; grandson, John William Dulin III of Troutman and fiancée Constance Warden; his “little sweetheart,” great-granddaughter, Graylynn Milholland; brother-in-law, Kenneth Blackwelder and wife Bobbie of Clemmons, N.C.; sister-in-law, Sue Crabb of Concord, N.C.; special friend, Jack Combs; and many loving nieces, nephews, and friends from Southside Baptist Church.
The family wishes to thank the staff of Cadence Living and Hospice of Iredell County for their exceptional care for Bill throughout the past year.
A graveside service to celebrate Bill’s life will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 2, 2024, at Glenwood Memorial Park in Mooresville. The family will receive friends immediately following the service.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials may be made to Hospice & Palliative Care of Iredell County, 2347 Simonton Road, Statesville NC 28625, and/or Southside Baptist Church, 525 S. Broad Street, Mooresville NC 28115
Cavin-Cook Funeral Home, Mooresville is proudly serving the Torrence family. Condolences may be made to the family at www.cavin-cook.com.