Elaine Torres, née Gaudinier, was born in Peekskill in 1951, the only daughter of Rose and Norman Gaudinier. She is survived by her children, Sonia, Shannon, and James; by her grandsons, Joseph, Dexter, and Xavier; her spouse, Mike Torres; and her two dachshunds, Khloe and Prince, who are just as bewildered as we are without her loving presence.

In addition to her family—who are grieving the loss of their mom, grandmother, and wife—she leaves behind many friends. Indeed, Elaine was a stalwart of the recovery communities in the Peekskill, New York and Merritt Island, Florida areas, and she helped shepherd many women through the difficult steps toward sobriety.

Elaine graduated from Peekskill High School in 1969 and from nursing school with her LPN in 1976. She worked for years at the V.A. Hospital, where she served as a steward of the AFGE union in Montrose, New York and, later, at Castle Point, NY. After retirement, Elaine headed south to Florida where she no longer had to shovel snow or scrape ice off her car windows, and for this, she was relieved.

Elaine fostered many interests over the years, from tap-dancing to jewelry-making to coloring with her gel pens, but if there was one thing she remained a rock-steady enthusiast for, it was her beloved Yankees. Though it is not technically allowed, there is a possibility that some of her ashes will find their way onto the field at Yankee stadium.

In addition to an intimate celebration-of-life gathering in Florida, a similar event will be planned for New York family and friends this summer. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating money to your local animal shelter, for Elaine was a great lover of animals, or to the American Cancer Society, as Elaine battled with cancer the last year of her life.