Torres, Shelly

Shelly Carolyn Torres
December 21, 1965 ~ July 31, 2023

Shelly Carolyn Torres returned to home to our Heavenly Father on Monday, July 31, 2023 at the Vitas Hospice Home in Santa Ana, California after complications from a stroke.  Shelly was born Carolyn Michelle Torres on December 21, 1965, in Fullerton, California to Geana Lynn Montgomery and Martin Acosta Torres.

Shelly was born deaf, yet she had her ways of getting her point across. Shelly along with her mother and sister, Carie, created their own form of communication, as sign-language was not taught in the schools during her early childhood.  The Santa Monica Pier was their playground, where Shelly could make friends with anyone, despite her minimum ability to communicate; people were drawn to her.   Shelly and Carie loved visiting their cousins, the Engle Sisters, in Placentia, CA: Debbie, Lisa, Cindy, Amanda and April.  Amanda and Shelly were the perfect “salt and pepper” duo and were the best of friends since infancy.   In her pre-teens and teenage years, Shelly attended the California School for the Deaf in Riverside, CA, where a new world of sign-language was shown to her.  Shelly was blessed with the birth of two sons, whom she loves immensely: Russell Curt Torres and George Whalen-Mueller.   April and her daughter Amelia Wilson, both spent countless weekends visiting Shelly.  Amelia became an advocate for her in communicating medical directives to and for Shelly.  Shelly was so proud that Amelia was inspired by her to major in ASL-English Interpretation and to become a medical interpreter for the Deaf.

Shelly is survived by her sons, Russell and George, grand-children Ryan and Ruby; her parents Geana Bennett and Martin Torres, her sister Carie Torres (Mark) Raddatz; her aunts Paula Engle & Cathy (Carl) Egetter; her cousins Debbie Engle, Lisa (Craig) Ramsey, Cindy (Mark) McComb, Amanda (Joseph) Neal, Joey Neal, Camille Piccinino, April Engle, Amelia Wilson, Daniel Montgomery, Katie Bess (Arenas), and David (Alba)Egetter; along with her long-time friend Clet Young and countless family members and friends.