Herrera de la Torre, Ricardo Luis Miguel Aged 84, of Old Hickory, TN, passed away Monday, March 13, 2023. He was born July 5, 1938 in Santiago, Cuba to Ricardo Luis and Angelica Herrera. He was survived by his beloved wife of 58 years, Sharon, and their six children: Lourdes (Steve), Ricardo (Tammie), Anton (Deborah), Elena (Chris), Susana, and Rebeca (Charles). His grandchildren include Emily, Sara, Samantha, Marisa, Mitch, Maria, Maxwell, Nicolas, Thaine, Anica, Kael, Brianna, Ian, Damien, Amaya, Charlie and his great-grandchildren; Rhett, Sebastian, and Millie. He also leaves his sister Miriam and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Ricardo and Angelica Herrera. Ric was a consummate scholar, obtaining a BS and MS in Chemical Engineering and an MBA in Business from the University of Minnesota as well as attending Havana University, Georgetown University, and Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. During his professional career he was a founding member of the American Filtration Society and TAPPI. He holds three US Patents in Filtration Media. His career started at Donaldson Company in Minneapolis, MN, then continued at Fleetguard in TN where he retired as CTO of Cummins Inc. Ric believed strongly in freedom and democracy. He was recruited by the CIA to participate in the covert Bay of Pigs operation to liberate Cuba from communism. At great peril and personal expense, after 21 months in an underground prison, he spent a lifetime educating and sharing his experiences. He was an active volunteer; starting mission programs in Romania, supporting his local YMCA programs, as well as always helping with programs at church and serving on non-profit boards in his community. He had a special heart for helping children and widows in need, believing that was God's calling for him. He never met a language he couldn't learn, could fix anything broken with some epoxy, loved to fish with his friends, drive fast cars, and travel with family to explore new and familiar places around the world. The family will host a celebration of life on July 5, 2023 in honor of his 85th birthday. Details will be shared at a later date. Ric asks that in lieu of flowers or gifts, please make a donation to his Bay of Pigs Brigade Museum: bayofpigsbrigade2506.com/… (Honoree: Ricardo Herrera de la Torre)