Father-son coaches in New Mexico die of COVID just hours apart. ‘Called home together’

Leonardo “Leo” Torrez and his son, Leonard Torrez, were inseparable on and off the court as a two-generation coaching team at a New Mexico high school.

Their friends and family are saddened, but not surprised, that both died of COVID-19 a day apart, The Santa Fe New Mexican reported.

“They still had so much more to do here but ultimately God called them home and he called them home together,” Renee Torrez, wife of 37-year-old Leonard Torrez, told KRQE.

Leo Torrez, 58, died the night of Jan. 12, The Rio Grande Sun reported. His son died the next morning. Both had been hospitalized with COVID-19.

They coached volleyball and girls basketball together at Mesa Vista High School in Ojo Caliente. Both were fully vaccinated against COVID-19 but fell ill in December.

Both were graduates of the school, The Santa Fe New Mexican reported.

“You get this double dose of Torrezes,” Principal Richard Apodaca told the publication. “They loved kids, and when they were coaching, you knew they were coaching for their community. You don’t always get people saying, ‘Hey, I want to give back to my community,’ but they did.”

The elder Torrez served as his son’s coaching assistant, The Rio Grande Sun reported. They also were partners in a towing business.

Their loss has devastated the school and sports teams. Leonard Torrez also leaves behind four daughters.

“Our girls are torn up,” Mesa Vista cross country coach Jesse Boies told The Rio Grande Sun. “They loved (their) coaches. Those two guys gave everything to them, and they love them. A lot of them had a lot of relationships with them outside of basketball.”

He told KRQE the teams are determined to “make them proud this year and I’m going to try and make them proud.”

More than 355 million cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed worldwide with more than 5.6 million deaths as of Tuesday, Jan. 25, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States has had more than 71 million confirmed cases with more than 869,000 deaths.