Thanks, Richard!!! Excellent information about Torrey. It's
happiness that one more half- forgotten author will have the
biography. With big gratitude Vladimir
--- In
rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com, "Richard Moore"
<moorich@...> wrote:
>
> I am just now catching up on posts after the Madison
Bouchercon and
a
> lovely trip to Italy.
>
> In recent years I've received a great deal of
information and
copies
> of documents from Roger's half-brother Don Torrey.
Don was a kid
> when Roger died in 1946 and he only learned about
the connection
from
> a sister a few years after their father's death in
1967. Their
> common father had three wives with children by each
and Roger came
> from the first marriage and Don from the third. The
father never
> mentioned the first family to his third.
>
> I had anticipated Don's information being published
as a part of a
> Torrey collection but that seems to have stalled. I
will pull
> something together that will provide more detail but
here are the
> basics.
>
> Roger Denzel Torrey was born in Michigan May 5, 1901
(or May 5,
1900
> depending upon which records are believed) to Neil
Baldwin Torrey
and
> Rose May Morey Torrey. Rose divorced Neil and moved
to Klamath
> Falls, Oregon. Roger's mother married Harry Poole
and together
they
> bought or built several theatres in the area that
featured movies
and
> at least one had an orchestra and hosted vaudeville
acts.
According
> to various published Klamath Falls histories, Roger
played the
piano
> and organ in the theaters and for a time was a
manager of one of
> them. Roger's mother was a community leader in
Klamath Falls and
was
> elected and served in the Oregon legislature from
1945 to 1947.
>
> Turned down for the U.S. Army because of his age,
Roger crossed the
> border, lied about his age and claimed to have been
born in St.
John,
> New Brunswick, Canada. He took the oath on October
16, 1918 and in
> his enlistment papers his "Trade or calling" was
listed as Logger.
> His army health records list him as 5 ft. 6 and 3/4
inches tall and
> weighing 122 pounds and he had brown hair and hazel
eyes. His
> discharge certificate was signed at Vancover, BC and
dated December
> 9, 1918.
>
> Roger did own the confectionary shop in 1930 with
his then wife
Edna
> working as a sales clerk in the shop.
>
> Roger died in Broward County, Florida with the cause
on his death
> certicate listed as "Acute intoxification
(alcoholism)" and
> under "other conditions" was listed "cirrhosis of
the liver." He
was
> living at 1009 SE 4th Street in Ft. Lauderdale, FL
with his wife
> Helen. He is buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Ft.
Lauderdale. the
> death certificate lists his birth date as May 5,
1900. Family
> records place the year of birth at 1901.
>
> There's more detail that I hope to bring together in
a longer
writeup.
>
> Richard Moore
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