Maurice Leo Torti

Maurice “Moe” Leo Torti Jr., 92, of Lincoln, passed away on Monday, May 13, 2024, at his residence. 

Maurice Leo Torti, Jr., was born in 1931 in Memphis, TN, to Maurice Leo Torti and Leah Glidewell Torti. 

He earned Bachelor's, Master’s, and doctorate degrees in mechanical engineering and materials sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  At MIT, he lettered in crew and played rugby. Upon completing his studies, he worked at the National Research Corporation in Cambridge, MA, where he developed several patents, processes, and equipment for the purification of tantalum metal. His work contributed to developing tantalum powder for electronic uses and solid tantalum forms for industrial applications. He ultimately held the title Senior Scientist at the Norton Abrasive Company, now Saint-Gobain Abrasives.  Upon retirement, he continued as a consultant for the same company. 

In 1969, he married Nancy Hunnewell Morse of Cambridge. After some years of living on the Boston waterfront, they moved to Lincoln, Massachusetts. Dr. Torti was an avid skier, sailor, gardener, and tennis player. He was a member of the Longwood Cricket Club, where he served on the Board of Directors for several years.  Upon retirement, he pursued a lifelong interest in sciences and humanities through the Harvard Institute for Learning in Retirement, where he attended and led classes for twenty years. 

He leaves his wife, Nancy Hunnewell Torti, of Lincoln, MA, a niece, Dr. Leah Neel Zartarian (Gary Zartarian), of Bath, Maine, Donna Jean Lucas Watts (Vernon Watts) of Marrietta, GA, nephew Michael Lucas (Sue Ellen) of Birmingham, AL., brother-in-law William Ray Lucas of Huntsville, AL and several great-nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by two sisters, Alice Torti Neel and Polly Jean Torti Lucas, and a nephew, William Lucas.

Family and friends will gather to honor and remember Moe for his memorial service at St. Anne’s in-the-Fields Episcopal Church, 147 Concord Road, Lincoln, MA, on Saturday, May 25, at 10:00 a.m., followed by a reception in Flint Hall. All are welcome. 

To attend services remotely, please visit the livestream link copied below, five minutes prior to the scheduled service time: