Victoria Dela Cruz

Victoria B. DeLa Cruz , age 87, died on June 21, 2014 in Orlando, Florida, USA. From her birth on December 23, 1926 to her death, she nourished the people around her with love, strength, and wisdom. She was born in Capiz Capiz, her home town in the Philippines, to Iluminada Alber and Sebastian Bantigue and was the eldest of 4 children. As the eldest, she helped care for and served as a wonderful role model for her brothers and sister. It must have been her beauty, infectious laugh, and amazing personality that attracted Jose Mangio Torres to her. Her loyalty, strength, respect for herself and others, and strong family values kept them together and made their relationship flourish. They were married on September 13, 1944 in Baguio City and they grew a beautiful family during their 27 years of marriage until Jose's passing in 1971. Left to honor Victoria and remember her love are their 11 children:

Arlene T. Inocencio
Divina (Divine) T. Ang
Nanette T. Mendoza
Cynthia T. Metoyer
Thelma (Beng) E. Houck
Laura T. Campilan
Jovito (Sonny) Torres
Joselito (Joy) Torres
Ferdinand (Pong) Torres
Connie (Baby) T. Little
Hanna T. Hernandez

Her love will also live on through her 28 grandchildren (many of whom she helped to raise) and by her many great grandchildren as well. Although time and distance kept her nieces and nephews from seeing her regularly, Victoria's memory will also live on through them. She made many friends along the way and they all will miss her dearly. She always loved the game of mahjong which stemmed from her competitive nature and sharp mind. Mahjong was also an opportunity for her to relax as she assumed the burden of managing the family's business in the Philippines after the loss of her husband. Other ways she liked to pass time and clear her mind was through "gantsilyo" (crocheting), watching Jeopardy and Bonanza, reading mystery novels and. last but not least --cooking. Many of the Torres family recipes originated from her and we are all thankful for that because our family's cooking is unparalleled. In fact, her social skills and warm hospitality ultimately led to one of the most successful Filipino restaurants in the city of Chicago, Illinois, called Sulo.

Victoria will be remembered as a strong, independent, loving, smart and an overall amazing woman. She had a timeless sense of fashion and appreciated the finer things in life, but was as humble as can be. Victoria demonstrated a beautiful sense of pride, while never forgetting the importance of humility. She always showed great strength but was never too prideful to show vulnerability to her family. In difficult times, she was always willing to take the pain and blame for the sake of love and peace among her family and friends. Her favorite and most popular line were the words "alang-alang" which simply means, "for the sake of…." Her emphasis on discipline and respect for others will live on through her family, and her enduring sense of humor was inherited by her offspring, and is something that even the most current generation understands and appreciates.

Victoria was preceded in death by her parents, husband, first born child Morpita, brothers Dodoy and Sergio, and sister Catalina.

Victoria was and always will be the matriarch and the rock of our family. We are all blessed to have had her in our lives.