Christine Portaro

CHRISTINE PORTARO

EVERGREEN, Colo. — Christine (Chris) Portaro, 61, of Evergreen, passed away peacefully on Saturday, March 26, 2016, surrounded by her family.

Chris was born on Aug. 26, 1954, in Keyser, W.Va., to Anthony and Amelia DiGioia and was raised in Westernport. After graduating with her Bachelor of Science from West Virginia University, she married Edward M. Portaro on June 24, 1978, in Maryland. In 1980, they moved from Pennsylvania to Colorado and have since made Evergreen their home.

Chris was an amazing wife to her husband, Ed and mother to her children, Jessica and Emily. She was the true definition of a matriarch as she demonstrated what it means to be an ever-loving, compassionate and selfless leader of her family. She taught her children to slow down, be respectful to everyone and enjoy the simple things in life.

Chris had a contagious personality and a loving vigor that inspired any person she came into contact with to feel important, empowered and welcomed. As a result, she dedicated part of her life being a social worker and teacher at Head Start where she was responsible for parent education workshops, completing casework for over 60 low-income children and their families, and provided training for other day care providers.

Chris made her mark on the Evergreen community spending 15 years as an educator with Jefferson County, spending most of her time at Evergreen Middle School where she taught Consumer and Family Studies. Chris was passionate about leaving students with far more than just her lesson plan for cooking and sewing. Rather, she imparted each child with invaluable life lessons for fun, laughter, energy and excitement.

In retirement, she and Ed enjoyed many adventures both near and far. They would travel in their motor home to fish and camp in the Colorado summertime. They were world travelers as well, including visits to Italy, Israel, Turkey, Columbia, Iceland, Germany, Austria, and most recently to the Caribbean where they had the opportunity to visit her favorite spot, Barbados.

Chris is survived by her husband, Ed; her two daughters, Jessica and Emily; her son-in-law, Phillip; her sister, Carla Whitehurst; as well as Ed’s father, beloved aunts, brother, sisters, and their families.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Chris' memory may be made to Rocky Mountain Cancer Assistance, which benefits patients at Rocky Mountain Cancer Center where Chris received the majority of her care for the last 5-plus years and made many friends. Checks with a notation “for Chris Portaro” may be mailed to RMCA, P.O. Box 6625, Denver, CO 80206, or online at www.coloradogives.org/RMCAColorado.

A service was held Thursday, March 31, 2016, at Christ the King Catholic Church with interment at Evergreen Memorial Park, Evergreen, CO .

Visit www.EvergreenMemorialPark.com for more information .