Theresa Marie Cirino

04/27/1957-10/03/2022

Loving Mother, Grand Mother, Wife, Sister, Friend

My mother Theresa, throughout her entire life had lived life at her own pace and rhythm. Some may say she was unusual, eccentric and maybe a bit touched. But this was my mother, this was who she was. She had fierce sense of right and wrong, and tried to live her life as we all intend to do, which is to say by being the best possible person one can.

By no means, does this say she didn’t have strife (forced upon her and of her own making). The last years of her life were wrought with sickness, disease, and pain. But being of Smith-Cirino stock this did not stop her from living, loving, and giving herself to her family.

My mother led a remarkable life, she graduated from the University of Arizona with a bachelor's and Master's degrees in Criminal Justice. She was one of the first female lieutenants in the Arizona Department of Corrections.

She worked in adult probations, and eventually transitioning to Child Protective Services as a case manager. The last two examples, showing her selfless nature and her love of children. My mother was so dedicated to the well-being of children that it was common for her to have her emotions wrapped up in her cases, and like all of us this meant bringing the work home with her, much to her grief.

My mother had been known to family and friends as being feisty, fearless, and assertive. She was not afraid to say how she saw our day-to-day problems and always spoke her mind even when the situation would have been bettered having said nothing at all. She pushed my sister and I to be the best we could be, to strive to have a better life and to give to others, and most importantly to be instilled with honesty. She tried hard to be selfless.

Being the outspoken person, she was also meant that my mother would swear like a sailor. Naturally, she would remind me and others that given her chosen un-traditional profession forced her to learn to speak this way to be understood by her peers and colleagues. My aunt Eileen used to say, “You wouldn’t know it by the way she speaks that she was educated.”

My mother had her fair share of challenging times and struggles like the rest of us. She was human, fallible, and had her fair share of vices. My mother had lost my sister Katherine at birth. As with most situations of this nature, it is said that it is unnatural to bury your young before yourself. This was a notable devastation that even to this day I know that she never recovered from it. But as I have stated many times before this did not stop her from living her life and even resulted in the adoption of my sister Alexis.

Looking at the major goals that she set forth for both my sister Alexis and me I would say she was a great success. My sister Alexis was given a very bleak and troubled prediction as to how her future life would be. None of which my mother took any stock in. Instead, my sister Alexis became street savvy, resourceful and fiercely independent all of which had been my mother's goals for her.

As for me, she intended me to become strong, independent but to strive to be a better man and person. She intended for me to be well educated which I can confidently say that I am. I also graduated from the University of Arizona, with a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering. This was quite a feat and one my mother never stopped enjoying bragging about.

I would say that all in all my mother lived and died following her own plans and path. She never stopped and let others sway her from the direction she was heading. This could make her extremely rigid and stubborn, but it was one of the qualities we most loved about her.

My mother lived a remarkable and untraditional life. In some ways this is a great understatement but people who have had the good fortune to know my mother either as a friend or acquaintance will tell you that their lives were shaped richer and fuller by their encounters. At the very least, will say that they will never forget her.

The last remaining years of her life were incredibly difficult and for most they would honestly say how amazing it was my mother stayed as long as she did. God or the universe or both had a plan for my mother this is the only way I can explain her good fortune of surviving eight strokes with all her faculties intact.

I truly believe that she is no longer suffering and despite my joking with her about being subject to a random audit while entering heaven, I think she, like my aunt were just allowed in no audits, no lines, just straight in. I believe this because of the great pain they both experienced at the very end.

I hope my mother has now found the peace that she couldn’t find in this life and that her suffering, pain, and sadness are gone.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.AdvantageMaryvale.com for the Cirino family.