Hetty Torrey

Hetty Lonsdale Bixby Torrey, 86, died peacefully Monday, May 1, 2006 at Duncaster in Bloomfield. She was born in Wilkes Barre, PA on February 13, 1920, the daughter of Helen Miner Bixby and Dr. Edward Bixby. She spent her girlhood in Wilkes Barre, graduating from the Wilkes Barre Institute. She spent her summers in Glen Summit, a mountain community, where she learned to love the outdoors; tennis, fishing and swimming. There, at the age of 17 she fell in love with her future husband of 64 years, James Humphrey Torrey. She and Jim were married on Valentines Day in 1942, following her graduation from Smith College in 1941. After the war, they settled in the Hartford area Wethersfield, West Hartford, Farmington and Bloomfield where they raised their four children. Hetty was a loving partner in life to Jim, a mentor and devoted mother to her children, a beloved grandmother to her 11 grandchildren, a committed member of her community, and a wonderful friend to many. She was an accomplished sportswoman tennis golf, fishing, skiing, a gardener, and a lover of books and reading. She did everything in her life with spirit, energy and good humor. She will be dearly missed. Throughout her life, Hetty gave her time and talents willingly to her community. She served on the Board of the Hartford Easter Seal Rehabilitation Center for many years, was active in the League of Women Voters, the Republican Party, and Scouting . She was a long time member of the Asylum Hill Congregational Church, serving as Deacon, as Chairman of the Finance Committee and as a member of a search committee. She always stayed close to her Alma Mater, Smith College, serving in many capacities as an alumna, finally as class president from 1996 to 2000. After Jim's retirement, Hetty and Jim divided their time between Connecticut and Nantucket Island where they filled their summer home with family and friends. Hetty and Jim shared a special passion for fishing which took them from the beaches of Nantucket and the mountain rivers of Pennsylvania to Mexico, the Bahamas, Alaska, Scotland and New Zealand. Hetty was also a member of many clubs: the Town and County Club, the Hartford Tennis Club, and the Hartford Golf Club in Hartford and the Sankety Head Golf Club and the Siasconset Casino on Nantucket Island. In addition to her husband, Hetty is survived by four children and their spouses/partners: Lonnie and Phil Snyder of Tulsa, OK, Jody and David Hodges of Ashland, OR, Jane Torrey and John Clapp of West Hartford, and Jim and Leslie Torrey of Grafton, MA. She is also survived by 11 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren; and a loving sister, Helen Lea Moore of Boxford, MA. She was predeceased by her brother, Dr. Edward W. Bixby and her sister Anne Dasch Ludlow. Her family plans a memorial service for Hetty at 11 a.m. on Monday, May 15, at the Asylum Hill Congregational Church, 814 Asylum Avenue, Hartford, CT 06105. They also plan to have a service at the Siasconset Union Chapel on Nantucket in the summer, where she will be buried in the Chapel's Columbarium. Memorial Contributions may be made in her memory to the charitable organizations of your choice.

Hetty Torrey

February 13, 1920 - May 1, 2006