William Edward Torrey  (1930-2007)

William Edward Torrey - of Loudon, TN passed away Monday, August 6, 2007 at Parkwest Medical Center in Knoxville, TN.  He was born March 27, 1930 in Janesville, Wisconsin.  Mr. Torrey was a 1948 graduate of Beloit Memorial High School.  He was the High School Conference Pentathlon Champion three Consecutive years, 1946, 1947 and 1948.  He was the Wisconsin State High School record holder, 12 pound shot put 43 feet in 1948, High School Conference Football Champs 1948 and State of Wisconsin Basketball Championship 1947.  Mr. Torrey attended Beloit College in 1948 on an athletic football scholarship.  He played professional basketball in North and South America 1949, 1950 and 1951 for The House of David.  He entered active military service in the United State Army in 1951 and was deployed to Korea to engage the Communist Chinese which had crossed from China over the Yalu River into Korea.  Mr. Torrey served two tours in Korea, and was honorably discharged in March of 1957.  He married his high school sweetheart and fellow Beloiter, Eleanor A. Callaly on April 23, 1953.  In 1955, Mr. Torrey pioneered the absolutely revolutionary concept of applying drywall wallboard construction systems in new residential homes during the building boom that transpired in the 1950's.  Overnight wallboard replaced the antiquated plaster/lathe construction methods and Torrey imported the new technology to Wisconsin from Kansas City opening a successful construction business in Wisconsin and Illinois for 27 years before retiring in 1982.  Mr. Torrey remained a life long fan of The Chicago Cubs, The Green Bay Packers and Bret Favre!  He also enjoyed viewing SEC football and The Tennessee Volunteers from the stands of Neyland Stadium every Saturday afternoon in the Autumn. He was preceded in death by his parents, Nathaniel Edward Torrey and Stella Josephine Horne.  He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Eleanor A. Torrey of Tellico Village, TN; sons, William E. Torrey, Jr. And wife, Gina Parks Torrey of Tellico Village, TN and Michael E. Torrey of Boulder, CO; daughter, Teresa A. Engebretson and husband, Larry of Cleveland, TN; granddaughter, Krista Michele Torrey, a Senior pharmacy major at U T Knoxville; grandsons, Cade Engebretson and Logan Engbretson of Cleveland, TN.  A memorial service will be held 11 a.m. Friday, August 10th at the Tellico Village Yacht Club on Tellico Lake with full military honors conducted by the Loudon Co. Veterans Honor Guard.  In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to Amvets National Service Foundation, 4647 Forbes Boulevard, Lanham, MD  20706, 1-800-810-7148.  Help Our Wounded Veterans.  Click Funeral Home, Lenoir City is in charge of arrangements.  www.clickfuneralhome.com