Connie - Cabrera

Connie (Consuelo) Cabrera

Obituary

Connie (Consuelo) Cabrera passed away on August 15, 2020, at the age of 93.  She was born on September 4, 1926, in the copper mining town of Jerome, Arizona, to parents, Ignacia and Plácido Cortez Sr.  She lived her early years in Jerome with her parents and siblings, Rachel and Plácido Jr.  During that time, she helped run their successful grocery store, Cortez Market.  Around 1942, the copper mine started to play out.  During a visit to Colton, California, Plácido Sr. landed a more secure job at Kaiser Steel in Fontana, California.  He then had Ignacia and the family relocate to Colton, where they reestablished their grocery store business.  As their grocery store business prospered in South Colton, they moved from their rented building on East “N” Street to their newly purchased building at their permanent location on East “O” Street.  After Plácido Sr. died in 1947, Connie continued to help her now widowed mother run the Cortez Market.  The original market still stands, but is now known as Toby’s Market.

On May 9, 1948, Connie married Ygnacio (Nacho) Cabrera, a World War II Veteran.  They settled into the house, on “O” Street, that Nacho had built for his Princess, Connie, and had two sons, Rene (Ron) and Ernest (Ernie).  She was always very supportive and active in the lives of her young sons as they participated in baseball, band and other school activities.  Connie and Nacho helped organize the first Band Parents’ Booster Club at Colton High School.

In 1974, while a teacher’s aide for the Colton School District, she was accepted into the teaching program, “The SABER Program,” spear-headed by Dr. Henry Dalton and the University of La Verne.  During the course of her studies, she earned a GED, a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Liberal Studies, and a Bilingual Teaching Credential.  All of this was accomplished in just over 4 years.  She graduated from the University of La Verne, Cum Laude, which signifies an academic level of achievement of honor and distinction.  In 1979, at the age of 53, she was hired by the Colton School District as a Bilingual Teacher.  Connie finally realized her life-long dream of becoming a school teacher.  She proudly taught students in the McKinley, Crestmore, Zimmerman, and Birney Elementary Schools.  She retired from teaching in 1991.

Connie supported many charitable organizations and was always willing to help someone in need.  Her sons, Ron and Ernie, recall that their home on “O” Street was the neighborhood hangout for their buddies.  After playing all day, Connie always had bologna and sandwiches or fresh handmade tortillas with butter for snacks.  The snacks all got washed down with Kool-Aide. She was very honored when asked to participate and share her many life-long experiences with the South Colton Oral History Project, organized by Drs. Lilly and Tom Rivera and Associates.

She was very artistic, loved writing and sending cards to her friends and family.  Recording her family history and collecting family photographs was another of her passions.  Connie was an excellent seamstress as well.  However, the Superman Cape sewn for little Ronnie failed to keep him airborne as he leaped from the top of his slide.  Superman Ronnie took a horrific belly flop as he landed on the ground.  Once he caught his breath, he scolded his mom for making the Superman Cape all wrong!!! 

Connie succumbed to kidney failure in 2014 and received weekly dialysis treatments until her death.  She is preceded in death by her parents, Ignacia and Plácido Cortez Sr., her husband, Ygnacio Cabrera, and her siblings, Rachel Romo and Plácido Cortez Jr.  She is survived by Rene (Ron) Cabrera and wife Yolanda; Ernest (Ernie) Cabrera and wife, Carmen; six grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.  Her private interment was held at Hermosa Cemetery in Colton, California, on August 29, 2020.

The Cabrera Family wishes to extend their deep appreciation to Carmela, her caregiver, and her family for their support in caring for Connie during her final years.

The family also asks that anyone wishing to honor Connie’s memory make a donation to their favorite charity.