Christine Torno's Funeral

Julie and I went to Christine Torno’s (1926-2023) funeral yesterday. On the drive over to Sinton, Texas we were guessing on who might be there.

Parkway was well represented but one of the nice things about funerals are the old friends you see who you don’t expect to see. My old friend and former member Ron Guzman was there. Seems like I only see him on Facebook and at funerals. We get along together like peas and carrots.

We got to see Brad and Beth Roach and we also got to see Steve Torno (Ray’s cousin) who we had known since college days. Also my old friend Richard Besselman who lives north of Dallas. He came a long way for someone he’s not related to.

Warren Miller who is married to Joy Torno Miller emceed the whole thing. I was impressed that he referred to Christine Torno as “our mother”. Nothing says love like that does.

Warren also said something I liked… “we preach our own funerals by the way we live our lives”

Glen and Christine Torno were just everyday small town working people.

Christine’s dad was an oil field worker who bought some land on Papalote creek and farmed and raised a few cows. There are a lot of Rattlesnakes on Papalote Creek and one of the games Christine and her siblings played was “jump the snake” (If you can imagine that)

The other story I liked about Christine was she had to walk about two miles to the bus stop and she would walk barefoot no matter the weather carrying her shoes. When she got to school she would use the school water hose to wash her feet and legs off then put her clean shoes on and go to class.

One of the grandsons said his grandmother had taught him five things… how to fish, how to grow things, it’s okay to have an opinion and to change it, to dream big and to love the Lord big.

Tim Rogers (who I know well) had a speaking part and I really felt for him. I’ve been in the position where I’ve been asked to speak for someone who I greatly loved and knew that I couldn’t get through it without crying but did it anyway because I knew no one else could say the words that needed to be said and that I was the only one who could say them. I guess tears are the currency of love. If so then Tim Rogers is rich.

I heard that during the depression there was a Veterinarian in the community and if you couldn’t pay your bill he would waive the fee if you would visit at the local Church of Christ. That’s how the Torno’s became members.

I looked at that great gathering of Torno’s… sons and daughters, grandchildren and great grandchildren, cousins, nieces and nephews and marveled at their love for each other and their great spiritual legacy that started because their ancestor was too poor to pay a Veterinary bill and too proud to not pay a debt.

I was talking to one of our members today who knows about Papalote and sharing some of these stories with him and I told him… in your spiritual journey you need to start attending some of these funerals… it will make you better and he agreed (I knew he would).

Certainly Julie and I go to funerals to comfort the family and to see old friends but the real reason we go is kind of selfish I guess. We go because it makes us better and I guess thats kind of hard to understand unless you go and share some tears and laughter with the loved ones of the deceased.

God bless you Christine Torno.