Predeceased by her husband, Santo Torre; her mother, Dauccio Giuseppa in Castiglia; and brother, Ignazia Castiglia.
Survived by: Her son, Antonio Fernando Torre (Faith); 2 grandchildren, Tony-Jonathon Santino Torre and Melinda Elizabeth Torre.
Carmela was born in Barcelona Pozzo di Gotto in a traditional Sicilian family. She studied at the local convent and afterward, through her brother met the one and only love of her life, Santo. Santo and Carmela moved from Sicily to Argentina where they had their only child, Antonio, while running and operating a successful tailor shop. Governmental upheaval during the Peron overthrow forced them back to Sicily and shortly thereafter, Santo sought and found work at the Hickey Freeman Factory here in Rochester. Carmela used her knowledge and practice obtained from her years studying in the convent to hone her sewing and seamstress skills in the work she found.
Carmela and her family knew no English but through persistence and shear determination they took every opportunity to make their new American life work. She took night school courses and studied hard, and despite her ever strong and present Sicilian accent, she successfully learned. Through her husband's illness she cared for him and after the devastating passing of her one and only true love Santo in 1973, she never remarried. Her strong devotion to her Savior Jesus Christ, her Roman Catholic faith, and to her family carried her throughout her years as she remained in Rochester until she passed. Carmela battled Parkinson's very bravely for nearly a decade until further complications overcame her. She is now at peace and comfortable.
She will always be remembered, loved and cherished, not only for what she did and the amazing meals she spent hours preparing for her loved ones, the hours she spent knitting and creating clothing, scarves and the annual Christmas "Nonna booty's" we all wore on our feet to stay warm, but also for the heart that always was cared for and loved those she was closest to. She always wanted her family to be close. She now rests with her true love and her dear mother, for whom she had the greatest affection for.
The family will be having a private graveside funeral at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.