Marã­A Colã¡S

Mar�a I. ("Inma") Col�s
1929-2015

MADISON - Mar�a Inmaculada ("Inma") Col�s was born on August 9, 1929 in the rural village of Muel, Zaragoza to Juan Martin and Flora Felices. She died at peace on April 16, 2015 in Madison, Wisconsin. She was the youngest in her family and was preceded in death by her parents, her brother and four sisters, her son-in-law Randy Trainor and her husband of 59 years, Antonio E. Col�s. She is survived by her four children, Antonio P. Col�s, Juan B. (Amy E.) Col�s, Maria ("Chinca") Trainor, and Santiago (Claire Solomon) Col�s.

She is also survived by her six grandchildren, Rodrigo ("Rigo") Keller-Col�s, Fernando ("Nando") Keller-Col�s, Elena Col�s, Owen Col�s, Grace Col�s and Adam Col�s. Together they share with us this remembrance of their "Yaya":

She loved telling the story of how the doctor broke her arm during her delivery. At the age of 28, she shepherded her growing family from Spain to Cali, Colombia. In 1962 they immigrated to Portland, Oregon, and finally to Madison, Wisconsin, which became home for 47 years.

As a little girl in a small Spanish town, she dreamed of seeing the Mississippi River, something she got to do later in life. She also got to see Colombia, the Pacific Ocean, waterfalls, Saint Augustine, Florida (the oldest city in the United States), the Grand Canyon, the desert of New Mexico, and Montana, which was great because she loved the world.

She was educated in Spain as a teacher and fulfilled her curiosity about the world in many ways. We remember her as a voracious, engaged reader of fiction and non-fiction, who kept notes on all the books she read and organized and participated in book clubs. She enrolled in a variety of classes through the University of Wisconsin Extension and Edgewood College and loved sharing what she'd learned with us and hearing what we were learning in our own education and exploration of the world.

As a life-long Catholic, Inma embraced the mysteries of faith and celebrated God's love together with the Church wherever she lived, and for many years especially in the community at St. Paul's University Catholic Center. Her kindness and sense of humor extended to all those who cared for her in her community. With compassionate wisdom and gratitude, we always felt the bright light she shone on the lives of those around her.

She believed deeply that every human being was good and that the good in them could be drawn out with love and kindness and understanding. We remember her strong sense of social responsibility and dedication to helping others in need, and we often came with her on her many Meals on Wheels delivery trips.

She loved to laugh and her ready smile made friends of strangers and brightened our lives and the life of everyone who encountered her. Anyone and everyone was welcome in her home and heart. This philosophy permeated every aspect of her long, vibrant life, and she passed it along to us and her children in every thought and action. From the way she smiled at everyone she saw, to the way she always had Cocoa Krispies and Sunny D waiting for her nietos, we never stopped feeling her love and warmth.

We remember Inma not just as a person, but as a presence. She was quiet, strong, and spiritual. She was social and smart and tenacious. She loved to be outside--walking in the woods or riding her bicycle--and noticed the beauty in everything. She loved birds - especially her beloved cardinals, which she taught us were a sign of God - trees, water, wind, and sun. She instilled a love of nature in her whole family, always happy to take us to the park or on walks together in the Arboretum and Olbrich Gardens. She encouraged talking to and hugging trees and rolling down hills. She wanted us to stomp on the little areas of brittle ice formed on uneven sidewalk squares, and to crunch as loudly as we could through the leaves on the path. She was a jokester, especially with her husband, our grandfather Antonio. Although she played a traditional role as wife and mother, we also saw her independence and unconventionality every day.

Throughout our lives, our Yaya shared the things she loved with us, and we shared our lives with her. In that way, her kindness and wisdom still guide us.

Her family is deeply grateful for the loving care and attention given her by the staff at Attic Angels Health Center, her home for the last 20 months. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to the UW-Arboretum, 1207 Seminole Highway, Madison, WI 53711.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:30 AM on Wednesday April 22, 2015 at ST. MARIA GORETTI CATHOLIC CHURCH, 5313 Flad Ave. Madison. A visitation will be held at church on Wednesday beginning at 10:15 AM with words of sharing at 11:00 AM.


Cress
Funeral and Cremation Service
3610 Speedway Road Madison
608-238-3434
Please share your memories at
www.CressFuneralService.com