Wilbert José Torres, 63, of Hoboken, NJ passed away on April 21, 2021.

He was born on October 2, 1957 in El Salvador. As a young adult, he immigrated to the US and settled in Hoboken, where he worked in garment factories as an industrial seamstress. During his early years in Hoboken, he continued with his passion for playing soccer, and was recruited by the Monte San Giacomo Soccer Club. He enjoyed competing at billiards around town, notably the former Sports Bistro and Willow Billiards, where he won many tournaments in the early 2000s.

He received his bachelors from Saint Peters University and masters from Columbia University. He worked at Columbia for 30 years in their real estate department, and taught Spanish for several semesters at Teachers College. He was a prolific artist who worked in a variety of media, including sculpture, drawing, painting, and produced many lithographs and serigraphs that were exhibited at Columbia’s Macy Gallery.

For over 15 years he coached both girls and boys recreational and travel soccer teams, garnering many wins and championships, including leading the girls’ travel team to a championship against undefeated Hackensack in 2006. He also played in Hoboken’s adult soccer league until he developed a brain tumor in 2007, but that did not stop him from continuing to coach until 2018. Surgery and radiation provided a cure and afforded him many years of excellent health that allowed him to attend many important milestones, including his daughter’s medical school graduation and son’s college graduation. But starting in 2018, the late effects of radiation treatment caused a debilitating neurologic decline, which ultimately led to his death. 

He loved his family to no end and relished frequent visits to Beverly, MA, where family would come together for holidays and celebrations. He is survived by his wife Gail, children Mark and Marielle, son-in-law Kyle Armington, and father-in-law Louis Tanzer. He was predeceased by his mother Esperanza, father Mario Ezequiel, and brother Mario Nelson.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to The Simon Foundation at: https://www.simonfoundation.org/

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Visitation for Wilbert will be held on Saturday, April 24, 2021 from 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM at Lawton-Turso Funeral Home in Hoboken (633 Washington Street, Corner of Seventh & Washington Streets, Parking on Seventh).

A service will be offered on Tuesday, April 27, 2021 at 11:00 AM at Temple B’nai Abraham in Beverly, Massachusetts (200 E Lothrop St, Beverly, MA 01915). Social distancing and masks will be required.

For the safety of in-person attendees and our staff, gatherings at Lawton-Turso Funeral Home will currently follow the latest guidelines as described here:

• All people attending must wear a mask while inside and around the outside of the funeral home.
• For safety, the number of attendees indoors will be limited to a reduced capacity according to currently allowed levels and shall be monitored by the management.
• All attendees must practice social distancing while paying their respects.
• In the event of changes to these safety practices, please watch this page for the latest updates.