Morris Catholic closed for student who passed away

DENVILLE - Morris Catholic High School was closed Monday as students and faculty attended the funeral of Madison Rae Torres, a student who passed away unexpectedly on Oct. 20.

Torres, known as Madi according to her obituary, was 16.

Following a viewing Sunday afternoon, the funeral was held Monday morning at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Boonton, where she was a parishioner, altar server and eucharistic minister at the Saturday evening Mass.

A reception was held at Morris Catholic immediately following the funeral Monday, according to the school’s website.

A resident of Boonton, Torres played volleyball, softball, and was a member of Morris Catholic’s stage crew. She was also a member of the National Honor Society for Science and the Pro Life club, according to her obituary, which was published in the Daily Record.

Students have been sharing well wishes for Madison and the Torres family on Twitter, using the hashtag #WeLoveYouMadison.

The volleyball team played their first game after Torres’ passing on Friday, and dedicated the game to her according to social media posts about the game.

A crowdfunding website has also launched for the family on GoFundMe, https://www.gofundme.com/MadisonTorres.

The website has raised nearly $5,000 by Monday afternoon and lists a goal of $15,000.

In Torres’ obituary, her family asked that donations be made to Rachel’s Challenge, a nonprofit named after the first victim of the Columbine High School shooting in 1999. The charity is dedicated to creating safe and productive school environments.

Those donations can be made at rachelschallenge.org. Morris Catholic officials did not respond to requests for comment Monday.

Staff Writer Michael Izzo: 973-428-6636; mizzo@GannettNJ.com