Service on May 25 for Maurice Torti, 1931–2024

Maurice “Moe” Leo Torti Jr., 92, of Lincoln, passed away on May 13, 2024, at his residence. He was born in 1931 in Memphis, Tenn., 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 Engineering. At MIT, he lettered in crew and played rugby. Upon completing his studies, he worked at the National Research Corp. in Cambridge, 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 of Senior Scientist at the Norton Abrasive Co., 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. 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; a niece, Dr. Leah Neel Zartarian (Gary Zartarian), of Bath, Maine; and several great nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by two sisters, Alice Torti Neel of San Antonio, Texas, and Polly Jean Torti Lucas of Huntsville, Ala. 

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, on Saturday, May 25 at 10 a.m. followed by a reception in Flint Hall. All are welcome. 

Arrangements under the care of Concord Funeral Home, which provided this obituary. To share a remembrance or to offer a condolence in Moe’s online guestbook,  please click here.