Marisa Tortora

Maria Luisa Muñoz Manzanera

8 November 1940 – 29 August 2017

Marisa Tortora passed away on Tuesday August 29th, in Point Loma, San Diego, her home for the past 25 years. Marisa is survived by the great love of her life, her devoted husband Carmine of 52 years, as well as the greatest joys of her life, her four boys, Robert, Paul, Frank, and Bill; daughters-in-law Hemo, Ann, and Samantha; and her six beautiful grandchildren, Patti, Maddalena, Paul Jr., Sarah, Emma, and little Octavio.

Maria Luisa Muñoz Manzanera was born in Madrid, Spain in 1940, and was raised in Andalucia, in the South of Spain, in the wonderful town of Puerto de Santa Maria. She was the third child of José Joaquin Muñoz Bela and Matilde Manzanera Rodriguez. She was affectionately called Marisa, and has a surviving sister Matita, two surviving brothers José Joaquin and Javier, and sister Eli who passed several years ago.

Carmine and Marisa were married in Puerto de Santa Maria on 1 August 1965, and spent the next 27 years raising their four boys with multiple Navy assignments across the globe, from Connecticut to California, Virginia, Rhode Island, Italy, Japan, and Spain, before settling in Point Loma for good.

Her role as wife, mother and grandmother was perhaps the most important thing to Marisa, and being with family and friends was what Marisa enjoyed most of all. She truly loved living life to its fullest, was never too embarrassed to break into a flamenco dance or loudly sing a song in front of strangers, and she loved everyone she met and enjoyed everywhere she went.

A solemn mass in her honor will take place on Wednesday 6 September at 11:00am at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Ocean Beach, followed by a funeral ceremony at 2:00pm at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in Point Loma.

Arrangements under the direction of Beardsley-Mitchell Funeral Home, San Diego, CA.