I knew Carmen from when I taught  at LSU. What a wonderful person!  When she left the room, she would say , "Bueno, me marchito" instead of "me marcho" and it is not true. In my memory she has not  withered even if she is gone.  There is Carmen, the expert on Borges; Carmen, who made the best paella  I had ever tasted; Carmen, the confidante.  Godspeed!  I wish I had found her name sooner and in happier circumstances, because I missed her and looked for her, more than once.

In fall of 1966, I met Carmen at the University of Dallas. We were part of a group of young students who had a shared Latin heritage (Mexico, Cuba, Costa Rica etc) and a love of fun . Later, Kookie and I shared an apartment when she started her post-graduate studies at University of Texas.

She was always the life of the party, her paella a hit and she loved her high heels!

I lost touch and so sad that I didn't keep up with her, but so happy to see what a wonderful life, career and community of friends she had in Baton Rouge.  


I will always remember your warmth and Love;  you are forever in my heart!💐💞

Thoroughly enjoyed my Spanish class with her at Southern.  The "La Bamba" assignment is still with me after 30+ years! May God bring peace and comfort to the del Rio family in your time of loss. 

I can't think about Carmen without crying and laughing, both. We were friends for 33 years, since I arrived in Baton Rouge and met her as one of the movers and shakers among women. She was very brave, when we confronted opposition; she was hilarious, often satirical, in private. She gave me courage to speak my mind, and we used to whoop together in agreement. When she visited my classes, my students loved her energy and passion, which I also saw when I visited the battered women's group in prison with her.  When she saw something awry, she never hesitated to speak up--and when she needed to, crack me up with a clever remark. The world will miss her. 

I was saddened today to hear of Carmen's passing in Southern University's opening faculty Convo. She clearly was well-regarded at Southern. I remember Carmen for her feminist activism. She helped lead the BR chapter of the National Organization for Women in the late 1980s and early 1990s. She also led a support group for survivors of domestic violence in the women's prison. She was quite a force, a life well-lived.

Our kids' first memory of Carmen is  as the host of the Witches of Wisteria, the best Halloween gathering anywhere.  And, as the person who gave us the grand 'Paco,' the orange wonder, our family's first kitten, who grew up to be a bruiser.  As the kids grew older, they began to gain a better appreciation of Carmen's wit and wry humor.  For that we are thankful.  There is not a more loving, a more caring soul that we can think of.  Peace to you, Carmen.  And best wishes on the journey ahead.

I got to know Carmen when we both taught Spanish courses at Southern University. We both shared a Cuban  heritage and a love for teaching the Spanish language. Carmen taught me how to be an effective, demanding, but, also, loving teacher.  In the Foreign Languages Department, at Southern University, we, as faculty, had our offices in the 3rd floor of the T.T. Allain building, and there we all shared together many years of our professional life, seeking the same goal of helping our students become better persons and professionals. Carmen helped us all achieve that. 

I am heartbroken by the sudden loss of my friend la Cubana. She was a colleague, she was a true friend, and she was "tia" Carmen to my children. I miss you.

I met Carmen when she arrived at LSU in the late 1970’s. We were colleagues and became close friends. She and her mother, Maria del Carmen were like family to Juan and me, and Carmen was godmother to our son. We cooked Cuban food together and danced and laughed together over several decades. Her wonderful spirit will live on in many beautiful photos and memories.

I write this with overwhelming sadness at the loss of my good friend of 43 years and my colleague for many of those years. I. have so many memories of laughing,  talking. and crying with Carmen. I always thought I would see her again when I went to Baton Rouge. But she will always be in my heart and soul.

I am grateful and honored  to have known Carmen, my colleague and my friend.  

To the family of Dr. Del Río, I am sorry for your loss.  Dr. Del Río was one of my favorite professors at Southern University.  Her love for poetry and literature was evident in her strong stances during her impassioned lectures.  She was a vibrant cubana with a talent for teaching and making a mean paella and flan de coco.  I was laughing the other day about a story of her childhood that she shared with us when she would make up things to confess during confessions like “adultería”.lol
I will truly miss her!

OBITUARY

Carmen M Del Rio

25 March, 1947 – 6 August, 2021

Rabenhorst Funeral Home & Crematory East

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