Consuelo Torrison's Obituary
Consuelo (Coni) Torrison died peacefully on November 5th at age 89 after several months of ongoing health battles. She was visited by many of her precious family members in the months, weeks, and days before being ushered to her eternal home with God. Coni went willingly and without fear.
Consuelo Aguilar was born on April 22nd, 1929 in Aurora, Illinois, the 5th of eight children. Brothers Carlos, Dave, Raul, Henry and Danny, and sisters Margarite and Ruth. Coni married and settled in Riverside, where she gave birth to four children- Richard Gerald (Rick), Linda Jean, Ronald Kip (Kip) and Karen Gay (Gay). Their house was always a busy place. Coni managed to keep house, cook thousands of meals, teach her children the love of sports including her love of tennis and swimming. She religiously attended every game, recital, play, and activities throughout their formative years. Friends of the kids were also included in many cherished memories - from tennis lessons to making home made tortillas.
After her divorce Coni supported herself and her kids by answering phones for a local taxi service. She convinced her employer to teach her to drive and by 1967 was driving a bus for the Seguin Training Center, a day center for handicapped and mentally challenged young adults. After suggesting various ways to enrich the lives of these young adults with outdoor activities and sports, Coni was hired full time and was subsequently part of the very first Special Olympics, held in Chicago in 1968. She continued to be a driving force in the lives of that special population until 1973.
In 1973 Coni moved to Madison, Wisconsin where she was recruited to be a house parent at Orchard Hill Assisted Community Living. Orchard Hill was a campus consisting of 6 private homes, each serving 12 adults with physical or developmental challenges. Most of the residents had Down Syndrome. Coni was House "Mom" to 12 young women in one of those homes, and was truly a 2nd Mom to each of the girls.
In 1983 she was recruited for a different challenge and moved to Lake Worth, Florida. The Children’s Home Society desperately needed a temporary house mother for a shelter that served runaway boys and girls and those in flux within the system. Coni agreed to help but didn’t plan to stay in Florida for too long. However, she quickly fell in love with the sunshine, and the year round opportunity to play bridge, tennis, golf, swim, and participate in the active lifestyle of the Murry Hills community, where she settled and made life long friendships. Her friends remember Coni as someone who was the first to reach out to newcomers encouraging them to join in the lively social life of this community. Coni stayed with Children’s Home making a huge difference in the lives of the young people she encountered until her retirement.
To say that this amazing woman’s life was one of service is an understatement. Her entire professional career was spent taking care of, teaching, and loving those who needed it most. In her personal life Coni was always the one who brought a meal to share, a birthday cake for her friends, a book to read with a child, or a hug to anyone who just needed some love. She somehow knew and showed up when she was needed most.
Coni’s family was always her priority and she was there to support each of her children and grandchildren no matter where they were or what was needed. Coni spent several years in California offering love and support to her daughter Linda as she fought Lupus. She was there to support Linda and her granchildren, Vallyn and Dustin when her beloved son in law, Bobby died suddenly in 2003. Coni stayed in California to help out as Linda continued to fight her battle with lupus and then cancer. Unfortunately, Linda lost her battle in 2010, and Coni remained there for as long as she was needed to be with her grand kids.
Although Coni will be missed by her family and friends, she leaves behind a legacy of loving and caring for one another. Her greatest desire would be that we treat each other with compassion, respect, and unconditional love for this is what she gave to everyone she came in contact with. She was blessed with an overwhelming capacity to love!
Coni is survived by two sisters - Ruth McCandless (Bill McCandless) and Marga Shubart, two sons - Rick and Kip Torrison, a daughter-in-law Mary Lou Torrison and daughter, Gay France. She also leaves behind her adoring grandchildren - Tanya, & Coni Sue France, Dustin & Vallyn Hatfield, Kip & Dan Torrison, Brooke Torrison, Nicole Hook (Sam Hook) and Lindsey Overlien (Aaron Overlien) as well as, great grandchildren - Eva Joy Torrison, Mackenzie, Payton, & Corvin Hook, and Jadin & Bella Rae Overlien.
A celebration of Coni’s life will be held on January 15th, 2019, 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. at Murry Hills Auditorium located at 3240 Cynthia Lane, Lake Worth FL 33461. All are welcome!
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that a kindness, a helping hand, a blessing, or a prayer be offered in Coni’s memory.
"Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless."
Mother Teresa
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