Teodoro Portillo Garzon

Teodoro Portillo Garzón passed away peacefully at his home on January 6, 2025, surrounded by his family. He was born on August 9th, 1924, the youngest son of Adolfo Portillo Garcia and Rosa Garzón Garzon, farmers in his beloved city of Madrigal de las Altas Torres, Ávila, Spain.
As was common for younger sons, he entered the Catholic seminary, Seminario Pontificio de Comillas, at the age of 17 years old, and was months away from becoming a priest when he realized that he was not called to the priesthood. He left the seminary and became a Latin teacher, then enrolled in Universidad de Salamanca and graduated from its Law School. Two years after leaving the seminary, he met a nursing student in Santander, his beloved wife of 59 years, Vidalina Franco Presa (Tita). They married on November 14, 1956 and moved to Madrid while he worked for Iberia Airlines. There they had their first child, a son who was stillborn. Due to their grief and Spain's economic depression, they moved to Venezuela in 1958 where he owned and ran a successful travel agency. They had their daughter, Charo, on March 5, 1961, and they all happily lived in Caracas, Venezuela for thirty years until their daughter married Richard Ryan and moved to the United States. Abu and Tita followed Charo to Spokane, Washington to live near their daughter in 1989 and welcomed their first granddaughter, Ruthie, in 1990.
Teodoro, or "Abu", as he was known (a shortened form of Abuelo), adored his grandchild and was ecstatic to welcome two more grandchildren: Becky in 1992 and Rachel in 1995. He and Tita lived for their grandchildren, often staying with them from the time they woke until they went to bed and teaching them Spanish as they grew up. He frequently picked his granddaughters up from school and chauffeured them around to various sports practices.
Abu was a thoughtful and friendly man, and he and Tita often hosted many parties for the small Spanish community in Spokane. Sadly, Tita passed away in 2015 after struggling with Alzheimer's for several years. Abu had served as her primary caregiver for most of those years, and after she had been moved into a care facility, he still visited her daily to hold her hand.
Always incredibly religious and deeply dedicated to the Catholic faith, Abu turned further towards his faith after her passing. He was a well known fixture at Sunday Mass at St. Mary's Catholic Church, and prayed the Rosary daily. He also frequently interacted with local Spanish speakers at the Tertulia, a small gathering held every week on the South Hill.
As he got closer and closer to his 100th birthday, his mobility declined, but that didn't stop him from calling family all over the world every day. He also fell in love with the show "La Promesa", a drama set in Spain in 1913, and was often found watching it from his recliner, or supporting his beloved soccer team, Real Madrid. He celebrated his 100th birthday in 2024, and credited his love of eating walnuts and sopa de ajo (garlic soup) daily for his longevity.
Abu is preceded in death by his parents; siblings Fermín, Maruja, Adolfo; his wife; his siblings-in-law Tilde, Evangelina, Isacio, Bernardo, Angel and Rosario; his niece María Jesús; and his nephew Esteban. He is survived by his daughter, Charo; his son-in-law Richard; his three granddaughters, Ruthie, Becky, and Rachel; his grandson-in-law, Mitchell; and his nephews and nieces Francisco, Rosa, Carlos, Rosa María, Felix, Nieves, and Adolfo.
A rosary will be at 11:30 a.m. and the funeral mass at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 18, 2025, at St. Mary's Catholic Church, 304 S Adams Rd, Spokane Valley, WA 99216. The committal service will then be at 1:30 p.m. at Pines Cemetery in the smaller mausoleum, 1402 S Pines Rd, Spokane Valley, WA 99206.
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