A climbing team has been put together to honor Chris Ray’s grandma, Elizabeth (Baldwin) Torchio, aka “Betty,” on the 7th anniversary of her going to Heaven following a brief battle with lung cancer.
On March 8th of 2020, Baron Robison, creator of the KickinCancer movement will be climbing the US Bank tower in Portland, OR – all 40 stories, to raise awareness for the cause.
Read comments for Chris Ray’s full story on his grandmother.
Submitted by Chris Ray
I’m putting together this climbing team to honor my grandma, Elizabeth (Baldwin) Torchio, aka “Betty,” on the 7th anniversary of her going to Heaven following a brief battle with lung cancer.
My grandma was born Elizabeth Marie Baldwin on June 2, 1922 in Santa Cruz, CA. The daughter of Lee and Sarah, an English/Norwegian streetcar conductor, and a twice-widowed Irish lass, along with 3 older half-siblings and 2 younger sisters, were taught values of faith, family, and hard work. Tragedy struck the family when Grandma was 16, as her father died of a heat attack on the back porch of their home. Marrying an Italian immigrant, she had three children – my mom is the oldest. Divorced when her children were young, she worked most of her life – in canneries, as a jukebox operator, as a drug store clerk, and many more I’m sure I’ve missed. A lifelong Santa Cruz resident, eventually she would gain some notoriety as a local historian, being interviewed by magazines or newspapers, and being featured in the 100th Anniversary documentary of the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.
By the time I was born, Grandma was in her fifties, and over the years she told me many stories – stories of childhood playmates; of friends (and boyfriends), some of whom went to Europe in the war, never to return; stories of working in the cannery with her mother in Monterey, dancing the night away with sailors stationed at Fort Ord. The things that impacted me the most were Grandma’s interest in family history, her love of music (she played piano, guitar, ukulele, harmonica, and accordion – and couldn’t read music), and her infectious joy. I remember countless hours next to her on the piano bench as she played the songs of her youth, instilling in me a love of that bygone era.
By the time I was an adult, Grandma had been firmly established as one of my best friends, and we talked regularly for the rest of her life. When she went to the hospital with pneumonia at the age of 90, I was worried. And when the doctors discovered lung cancer, they gave her six months to live. Two weeks later, as I was preparing to travel to say my goodbyes, Grandma went home to be with Jesus, whom she loved so dearly. The day was March 8, 2013 – just 3 months shy of her 91st birthday.
When I became acquainted with the Kickin’ Cancer movement, and was introduced to their “Honor Shirts,” I knew I had to get one to honor Grandma. I had the privilege of wearing it to her gravesite this last summer, and I’m proud that in supporting this cause, her legacy of love lives on.
It is my honor to be doing the climb WITH Chris Ray. I will be doing the climb for Becky Olson, the co-founder of BreastFriends, who is in her 5th battle with Breast Cancer and now it has gone metastatic to her lungs.
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