Larry Wolfe
Mike Torreano grew up in the Kennedy Heights neighborhood of Cincinnati and graduated from Woodward High, where he played football and baseball for the Bulldogs. He was a star left-handed pitcher who was good enough to go on and pitch for the Air Force Academy Falcons baseball team. Mike earned a degree in international affairs at the academy before entering active duty. He served nine years in the Air Force, then another 17 years in the Air Force Reserves, retiring as a colonel. He also earned a master’s degree at the University of Denver.
After his active duty was completed, Mike joined Northwestern Mutual Insurance Company as a financial advisor in Colorado Springs. This would lead to a 35-year career with that company. He served in several positions, including manager of a large financial planning unit. While still in the Reserves, Mike was called back to active duty during the First Gulf War in 1991. He served as Commander of the Aerial Port Squadron at King Fahd Air Base in Saudi Arabia. He then returned to civilian life and worked at Northwestern until his retirement in 2012.
Mike and his wife Anne have two daughters and five grandchildren back in Colorado. Contemplating their future retirement, the Torreanos bought a place in the Oakwood Villas back in 2001. They had visited Arizona regularly, since Anne’s parents lived in Scottsdale and knew they wanted to eventually become Arizona snowbirds. They’ve maintained their home in Colorado Springs and do a lot of “back and forth” to visit their family but spend most of the winter here in Sun Lakes.
Playing baseball and softball has been a part of Mike’s life “forever.” He played both fast-pitch and slow-pitch in various city leagues back in Colorado before joining our program. He initially played in our recreational program since he was only here part time but has participated in league play the past couple years. He’s a smooth-swinging, high-average hitter and strong-armed outfielder.
In addition to softball, Mike plays golf and pickleball and is currently taking a conversational Italian class. Given his heritage, it’s no surprise that Signore Torreano already speaks some Italian. He and Anne have visited Italy several times, exploring the country and visiting relatives in Northern Italia.
Mike’s other passion is writing, which makes my writing about him a little intimidating! He’s had two novels published by The Wild Rose Press; both are historical fiction Westerns. His first novel, The Reckoning, was published in 2016, while a sequel entitled The Renewal was just published in March of 2018. Mike had developed a love for the West while in grade school when he read every Zane Grey novel he could lay his hands on. He’s also a big fan of Louis L’Amour and Jack London. Writing his own Western novels has been a childhood dream come true. His other dream was to be a major league baseball player, but batting .500 isn’t that bad!