Walter France Torrance, Jr., 79, husband of Ellen (Ingraham) Torrance died on Thursday, May 3, 2007 while on a cycling tour in Croatia.

Mr. Torrance was born July 12, 1927, in Waterbury, CT, the son of Walter F. Torrance and Harriet Gager Torrance. He was educated at Waterbury public schools and at the McTernan School (now Chase Collegiate), after which he graduated from Phillips Academy (Andover). He then entered Yale University and, following service in the Army Air Corps, graduated in 1948, receiving a B.S. degree, with honors. At Yale he was elected to the honorary societies of Sigma Xi (scientific) and Tau Beta Pi (engineering). He graduated from the Yale Law School in 1951, after which he joined the Waterbury law firm of Carmody and Torrance, LLP.

In 1978 Mr. Torrance was appointed vice-president and general counsel of the Northeast Utilities System, including The Connecticut Light and Power Company, the then Hartford Electric Light Company, Western Massachusetts Electric Company and Northeast Utilities Service Company, all of which he also serviced as a director. He retired in 1992 as senior vice-president, secretary and general counsel of Northeast Utilities and its subsidiaries, including Public Service Company of New Hampshire, and as director of the subsidiaries. Upon his retirement from Northeast Utilities, Mr. Torrance returned to Carmody and Torrance, serving most recently in an of-counsel capacity.

He was a past director of several charitable organizations, including The Waterbury Foundation, the Waterbury United Way, Waterbury Chapter of the American Red Cross, The Mattatuck Museum, and Pearl Street Neighborhood House.

As a resident of Woodbury, CT from 1953 to 1985, Mr. Torrance was first chairman of the Woodbury Planning Commission, first chairman of the Board of Finance, first chairman of the Zoning Commission, and chairman of the first Charter Revision Commission. After moving to Southbury in 1985 he served as an alternate member of the Southbury Board of Finance.

Mr. Torrance was an avid hiker, skier, biker, dancer and traveler. He and his wife Ellen traveled all over the world, and each year spent several months skiing in Colorado. His other passions included music, model trains, art, film, theater, and wordplay, including doing daily crossword puzzles, delighting in funny stories, and gently correcting grammatical errors. He lived his life to the fullest.

We will miss his enthusiasm, his wit, his kindness, his keen legal mind, and his love for his wife Ellen, his four children: Lucie Todd Turrentine (Tom), of New Canaan, CT; Martha E. Torrance (Tim Tolman), of Seekonk, MA; Stephen H. Torrance (Beth), of Lancaster, PA; and Sarah G. Torrance (Joe Pickard) of Boston MA and Londonderry, VT; their mother Lucie N. Torrance of Southbury, CT; his brother Ted Torrance (Connie) of Vero Beach, FL and Barrington, RI; his three nephews David and Kimball Torrance and Kevin Hannon, and his nine grandchildren (Thacher, Abby, Katherine and Grace Torrance, Alex and Margaret Turrentine, and Henry, Sam and Juliya Tolman), seven step-children; and twenty step-grandchildren.

Memorials: In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Ellen and Walter Torrance Fund at the Connecticut Community Foundation, 43 Field Street, Waterbury, CT 06702 or Mattatuck Museum, 144 West Main St., Waterbury, CT 06702.

Cemetery: New North Cemetery

Location: Munson-Lovetere Woodbury

Funeral: North Congregational Church

Services: A memorial service will be held at 11: 00 a.m. on Saturday May 19th at North Congregational Church, Woodbury, CT.

Visitation: There are no calling hours