Virginia de la Torre

Virginia de la Torre passed away on March 30, 2019 at the age of 94. Born on April 30, 1924 in Camagüey, Cuba, Virginia was the only child of Pedro and Eloisa Cabanius. As a young woman, she sang on the radio and social clubs throughout Camagüey, and was nicknamed “La Blonda Estrella” for her movie-star looks and clear, dramatic mezzo-soprano. In the early 1940s, a man named Orlando de la Torre saw her singing and vowed to his friends that La Blonda Estrella would be the mother of his children. True to his word, Orlando married Virginia in 1945 and they were inseparable until his death in 1999. The couple had three children in Camagüey: Blanca, Santos, and Rebeca. In 1963, the family fled the Castro regime, eventually settling in Chicago, Illinois, where Virginia gave birth to her youngest daughter, Cecilia. In the 1970s, the family moved to Tampa, Florida, where Virginia lived until her passing. Virginia is survived by her four children, Blanca Plazas (Carlos), Santos de la Torre (Nayda), Rebeca Zambrano (Henry) and Cecilia Barreda; nine grandchildren, Carlos Plazas (Ivanova), David Plazas (Darren), Blanca Snyder (David), Adyana Brucker (Nick), Kirk de la Torre (Elizabeth), Tereza Ohley (Nick), Orlando Zambrano, Virginia Barreda, and Gustavo Barreda. She is also survived by her nine great-grandchildren, Isabella and Sofia Plazas; Mateo, Elena, Benjamin and Lucía Snyder; and Zara, Valkyrie and Wilder Ohley.

Throughout her life, Virginia was never seen without impeccable makeup, jewelry, and her signature scarves. She was always after her daughters and granddaughters to fix their hair and put on a little lipstick (and a sweater lest they catch a cold). She loved the ocean and traveled to beaches as far as Venezuela, Brazil and the Dominican Republic, always sporting a dramatic sunhat and telling everyone to leave the seawater on their skin and hair for its beautifying effects. She never met a dessert she didn’t love—tropical flavored ice cream was her absolute favorite. Throughout her life she adored music and would break into song and dance up until her last days. She taught everyone around her to relish and savor life, love and family. Her last words were: “What a beautiful song!”

A visitation will take place on Tuesday, April 2, 2019 from 5:30PM to 9:30PM, with a Celebration of Life beginning at 7:30PM and a Mass beginning at 8:30PM.

In lieu of flowers, Virginia’s family would welcome donations to be sent to:

The Susan G. Komen Foundation at https://tinyurl.com/celebratevirginia