Cecelia Torres DeSoto

Cecelia Torres DeSoto, Teacher, Beautician. Cecelia Torres DeSoto, 67, a teacher at The Tidewater School in Huntingtown, MD, died Sept. 1 at Washington Hospital Center of cancer. She lived in Benedict, MD. Mrs. DeSoto worked at The Tidewater School since 1995 and took great joy in teaching art, music, and Spanish to Pre-K - 5th grade children. She was born in Phoenix, Arizona. She met her future husband in grade school and married him after graduating from Phoenix Union High School. She went to beautician's school in Phoenix. Her husband's military, college, and defense department assignments took her to Camp Pendleton, CA, back to Phoenix, AZ, San Francisco, CA from 1958 to 1968, then to Germany from 1968 to 1973, where they traveled all over Europe with their four children.
Mrs. DeSoto's family moved to Alexandria, VA in 1973. For seventeen years, she owned and operated a beauty salon in Old Town, Alexandria; The Alexandria House for Beautiful Hair. Benedict, MD has been her home since 1977 at DeSoto's Landing Marina founded by her husband and son, Eric. After many years of part-time classes starting at Georgetown University, she met her goal of a college degree in Social Work in 2003 from The College of Southern Maryland. She made an impression on everyone she met and loved to give gifts of homemade food and her artwork to friends and family. Her interests included cooking, decorative painting, antiquing, gardening, reading, boating, and spending time with her grandchildren. She also volunteered at a local abuse center where she taught women to cook, sew and take care of their children. She was preceded in death by her mother Luz (Lucy) Torres. Survivors include her husband of 50 years, M. John DeSoto of Benedict, MD; four children, Cynthia Marson (Ed) of Brandywine, MD, Katherine Brady (Shaun) of Davidsonville, MD, John DeSoto of Waldorf, MD and Eric DeSoto (Cheryl) of Alexandria, VA; four sisters: Amelia Garcia, Adelaide Ramirez, Dora Cadriel, Norma Bennett; two brothers: Arthur Torres, Tommy Torres, all of Phoenix and eleven grandchildren. She was dearly loved and will be missed by her family and those who knew her. Madre, descanse en paz.