Antonio Samuel de la Torre

Antonio Samuel de la Torre, 67, died Saturday, August 14, 2021, on the French Broad River in Madison County, North Carolina. Born in El Paso, Texas on February 21, 1954, to the late Jose Maria de la Torre and Maria Luisa Avila.

In 1981, Tony was honorably discharged from the USS Belknap as a Petty Officer First Class. Later that year, he joined RCA and advanced to a Senior Member of the engineering staff at Lockheed Martin, where he retired after thirty years of service. He was proud of his work as an analog engineer supporting the AEGIS combat system and volunteered his time at local school programs teaching science and electricity. In 1988, Tony received a B.S.E.E from Drexel University.

After raising his family in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, Tony retired to Asheville, North Carolina to pursue his passion for the outdoors. He was a beloved member of the local whitewater kayaking community and regularly volunteered his time with Team River Runner to share kayaking with wounded veterans. Tony’s kind, welcoming smile will be dearly missed by all who knew him.
Left to cherish Tony’s memory is his beloved wife of forty-one years, Andrea; their two sons Alex de la Torre of King, North Carolina, and Martin de la Torre of Asheville, North Carolina; and his sister Angelina Delgado of El Paso, Texas.

His family wishes to extend their heartfelt thanks to those around Tony at the time of the incident who did everything in their power to try and revive and evacuate him in a timely manner, and to the responding paramedics from the Walnut Fire Company. Memorial donations in Tony’s name can be made to Team River Runner, 5007 Stone Road, Rockville, MD, 20853, or online memorials In Loving Memory of Antonio Samuel del la Torre.