Carmen Maria Torres

Carmen Maria Torres, devoted and loving mother of 14 children, and an inspiringly strong woman, she was born on November 21, 1926 in Comerio, Puerto Rico, died peacefully on March 17, 2016 at the age of 89. Her life’s journey took her from a small mountain town in Puerto Rico to the desert Southwest, where she worked tirelessly as a mother, grandmother, and advocate for others. She never graduated high school but her intellect was unrivaled. She was a voracious consumer of the news and an advocate of understanding the world around us—always using compassion as her compass. She was grounded in her faith in God and in people. She was a member of St. Pius X Catholic Community, where she made many friends. She married Modesto Torres and they made a home in Cidra, where their children attended school before moving to El Paso. She was a dedicated mother who believed that women deserved more opportunities. She never knew a life without work. She was passionate about justness and justice. And she valued the pursuit of freedom and self-determination over convention. Her children were her life and she fought fiercely for them. She loved them each for who they were and who they’d become. She loved their spouses and she loved their children. She forgave them when they made mistakes, large or small, and she was so proud of them—all of them. She is preceded in death by Modesto Torres. She is survived by her children Hilda Luz Jara; Maria Virgen Mercado; Luis Felipe Torres; Fernando Torres; Carmen Lidia Torres; Maria Elisa Mercado; Maria Margarita Flores; Maria Mercedes Torres; Jose Norberto Torres; Sara Arellano; Angela Torres; Diana Ceniceros; Dalila Torres and Rosario Orozco; their spouses; 25 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren. Visitation will be from 4:00p.m.-9:00p.m. with a Rosary at 7:00p.m. Monday, March 21 at Sunset Funeral Home, 750 N. Carolina. Funeral mass at 10:00a.m. Tuesday, March 22 at St. Pius X Catholic Community, 1050 N. Clark. Interment: Private.