Dr. Ivan Lincoln Torres

Dr. Iván Lincoln Torres, 71, noted educator and entrepreneur of Wyomissing, died on March 27th at Grand Strand Medical Center in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina due to respiratory failure. Dr. Torres was admitted to the GSMC’s emergency department two weeks prior with breathing difficulties and succumbed after a valiant fight with acute respiratory distress syndrome. The disease’s source was not determined, but testing definitively excluded the COVID-19 virus.  Dr. Torres was golfing in Myrtle Beach with friends and colleagues from the Reading area when he fell ill.

Dr. Torres, known as “Dr. T” by his behavioral sciences students and advisees at Reading Area Community College, was an inimitable faculty member over his three decade tenure teaching psychology and sociology who maintained a powerlifter’s physique and engaged students with a unique lexicon and distinctive perspective on society and the human condition. Former students who appreciated Dr. T’s unconventional and wide-ranging presentations would frequently stop him in the streets of Reading to recall his catchy aphorisms.

Though the opportunity at RACC originally prompted Dr. Torres and his wife of 50 years, Elaine Torres (née Ayers), to settle in the Reading area, it was only one of several strong connections they developed to the community. Fueled by a desire to help families and protect children at risk of abuse, Dr. Torres founded Alpha Counseling & Mediation Center, Inc. to provide family therapy and counseling services to hundreds of families in the Berks and surrounding areas confronting the most serious forms of abuse. His decades-long involvement as a court-appointed counselor in the county’s most challenging Children & Youth Services cases and service as an expert witness in sexual abuse cases led to his appointment to the Pennsylvania Sexual Offenders Assessment Board by Governor Tom Ridge.

After a successful career in counseling, and after retiring from teaching, Dr. Torres turned his energies to financial ventures. He founded Pronto Financial Inc. to mentor and empower diverse entrepreneurs, providing credit to underbanked and hardworking small business owners. He led Pronto Financial’s business loan and mortgage origination activities, and connected with his creative side directing real estate renovation and rehabilitation projects throughout the Reading area.

Throughout his many years in Reading, Dr. Torres was active in community affairs, serving as a board member at Albright College, Penn State Health St. Joseph’s, Wernersville State Hospital, Tower Health System Mental Health Center, and the Latino Chamber of Commerce. Dr. Torres was also engaged politically, most recently volunteering for the Berks County Republican Committee. His long standing advocacy for Latino economic opportunities and status as an interpreter of and guide to the latino business culture led to national media interviews with The Wall Street Journal and CNN.

Born in Quito, Ecuador in 1948 to Blanca Castro and Miguel Torres, Dr. Torres immigrated to the United States as a teenager seeking the American dream of prosperity. In 1969, he married Elaine and both worked tirelessly together, with Elaine finishing a master’s degree in education and gaining her licensure as a psychologist while Dr. Torres completed both a master’s degree and a doctorate in education.  They raised their two sons, Nyko and Andro, in Wyomissing. A champion of families, Dr. Torres was happiest playing the role of Abuelito to his four granddaughters.

In life, Dr. Torres enjoyed talking to just about everyone and distinguished himself competing in golf, powerlifting, chess, and bowling.  He is survived by his wife Elaine Torres, son Nyko Torres, husband of Diana Gutierrez of Wyomissing, four granddaughters, son Andro Torres of Venice, California, and sister Victoria Torres Cays of Stroudsburg, along with a large and loving extended family in North and South America and Europe.

Out of consideration for the safety for the community Ivan loved so dearly, a memorial service in his honor will be announced at a future date.

Ocean View Funeral Home, Myrtle Beach Chapel is in charge of arrangements.

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