Obituary: Eugene Leslie “Les” Torrans, Jr.

Eugene Leslie “Les” Torrans, Jr.
February 5, 1947 – May 18, 2026
79 Years of age

 

Eugene Leslie (Les) Torrans, Jr., 79, of Leland, passed away on Monday, May 18, 2026, at Bolivar Medical Center in Cleveland, MS. In accordance with his wishes, there will be no visitation or service. At a later date, the family will have a blessing of his ashes in Fruitport, Michigan. Arrangements are under the direction of Boone Funeral Home, Leland.

Born in Fruitport, Michigan, on February 5, 1947, he received his B.S. degree in Fisheries Biology from Michigan State University in 1969. After graduation, he served as an aquaculture extension agent and hatchery manager for the U.S. Peace Corps in Cameroon for four years. Returning home, he earned his Ph.D. degree in 1980 from the University of Oklahoma under Dr. Howard P. Clemens while managing a 40-acre commercial catfish farm. After graduation, Dr. Torrans moved to Arkansas, where he taught several undergraduate fisheries courses and conducted research on channel catfish and tilapia production at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. In 1989, he was hired by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to direct the Southeastern Fish Cultural Laboratory in Marion, Alabama. Before coming to Mississippi in 1999, Dr. Torrans again worked on a commercial catfish farm, this time in west Alabama. In Mississippi, he worked as a Fish Production Specialist for the USDA at the Thad Cochran National Warmwater Aquaculture Center, where he conducted practical research on water quality and aeration in catfish ponds, as well as catfish hatchery design and management. He retired in 2019.

Les is preceded in death by his parents, Eugene and Agnes Wurful Torrans and two sisters, Kathie Torrans and Bonnie Torrans.

He is survived by his wife, Anna Bell-Torrans; stepson, Greg Bell (Amanda); grandson, Parker Bell (11); and his beloved dog, Rudy.

Even though Parker’s Poppa Les went home to be with the Lord, and our hearts are heavy, we are incredibly thankful for the time we had with him and the wonderful life he lived.

He was a great friend to so many, the kind of man who never met a stranger and always had time for a story, a laugh, or a helping hand.

A lifelong outdoorsman, he was most at peace in God’s creation, whether he was in the woods, on the water, or simply sitting outside taking it all in with his 4-legged sidekick, Rudy. As the official “fish doctor”, he spent half his life studying catfish up close, talking to them, and then telling us all exactly what they were thinking and needed. If there was a shelter animal that couldn’t help itself, you could count on Poppa Les to step in and do whatever he could to make its life a little easier.

Les lived a wonderful life with great friends. We are grateful for the love he poured into Anna, Parker, and our family, and for the example he set of kindness and quiet strength.

Please keep Anna and the family in your prayers in the days ahead and help us to honor his memory by loving others well, looking out for the ones who can’t speak for themselves, and telling a good hunting/fishing story every now and then in his honor.

RIP Poppa Les, your legacy will continue.