On July 19, 2023, Fauquier lost a bright soul and an even brighter smile. Officer Salvatore “Sal” Torelli’s death devastated not only FHS, but anyone who was lucky enough to have met him.
Throughout 59 years of life, Torelli accumulated 33 years of service. Torelli gave his time not only by being the school’s SSO, but also through other acts of service. He was a part of Fauquier County’s Fire and Rescue as well as volunteering his time to the Fire Science department at FHS. Outside of school, Torelli had a love for model trains and his son, Ian. Alongside this, Torelli was an avid traveler.
Torelli was a staple member of FHS, whose impact didn’t stop at keeping our school safe. Torelli was someone you could, “…tell [your] problems to and he would listen and not judge” according to senior Daniela Clark.
Clark remarks that Torelli was, “..another adult figure in my life. Someone I could always feel supported by and someone I could always go to if there was a difficult moment.”
Fellow senior Billy Brooks said, “Every single time we walked in [school] he had a smile on his face. If you were down he would always come up to you; he could tell even if you didn’t know him on a personal level. And he would always crack a joke.”
Looking back on joyous memories, Brooks recalls the best memories he had with Torelli, saying, “…Just [hearing] his life stories and his [stories] at Fauquier High School and all the times he had with his friends and the life lessons that he gave. He would always say to live everyday like it’s your last or always have a smile on your face and be positive. But the conversations we would have in the parking lot was definitely my favorite memory.”
Clark says that her favorite memory with Torelli was when she “… had to dress up as the easter bunny and he came out and easter egg hunted with the kids.”
To honor such a brilliant man, a post was made to the Fauquier High School instagram page. This post went viral, currently having 1,447 likes and 179 comments, making this one of, if not the most, liked post on the page. A police cruiser was parked outside of the high school for eight days to mourn Officer Torelli. His Celebration of Life ceremony was held August 2, 2023. Throughout this ceremony, speeches were given to commemorate his life and the joy he brought to others. FHS’ own JROTC honored Torelli through a rifle salute. A memorial service was held in Fauquier High School’s auditorium. The impact that Torelli had on our community was so incredible that the auditorium was full; all seats had been filled and people still filed in, lining up against the walls. Our community will continue to miss his kind smile and his kind heart.
