Unconditionally loving, charismatic, talented, authentic
The night before Natasha’s scheduled C-section, she had a vivid dream of delivering a beautiful, green-eyed baby girl. From then on, she knew her daughter, T, was destined to be special, and one look in her tiny, soon-to-be green eyes confirmed it all. She’d even playfully tell her mother she was an angel when she got older, and to her family, she was one.
Her family included her mother Natasha, oldest sister Brittany Ambrose, and little brother Devon Terrones. With T being nine years older than Devon, it often felt like she was another mom, but that didn’t stop her from also being a wonderful role model and older sibling. The two played video games and bickered in classic sibling fashion, as if the age difference didn’t exist. Brittany was a stepsister, but she and T developed a strong sister relationship filled with unwavering love.
With T, even the simplest moments with her family became colorful memories. Like the time Natasha took Devon and T out to California for their aunt’s wedding. The little trio swam in the ocean and enjoyed the majesty of nature together. Or the summer T’s “cooler than the other side of the pillow madre” visited. She got a window into T’s world: the way she flowed around her apartment, how she navigated the kitchen making her favorite meal–shrimp scampi, the delicious taste of her cooking, and how enjoyable it was to be with her.
T knew how to love people, and she wanted everyone to feel it. To be in her presence was to be rewarded with her infectious smile, a belly full of laughter, and her musical talent, all of which she gave freely.
She had an incredible gift for music. T participated in the high school band, lettering her senior year and could both read music and play by ear, and as an adult, she loved to strum the ukulele and sing. Music was her solace in hard times, but even more, it was her calling. She aspired to obtain higher education and become a music teacher. Until then, she worked at a sandwich chain and earned a general manager position before her passing. T transformed the struggling new shop into the prime location in only six months, and everyone wanted to transfer to her shop–which was unsurprising to anyone who knew her. People flocked to her congenial personality.
T looked forward to becoming a mother. Though that dream did not come to fruition, she was the best paw parent to her pup Rasta, who passed soon after her. They were so close they couldn’t live without each other. T was engaged before her passing, but her fiancée was charged with giving her the lethal, synthetic opioid that took her life, devastating her family.
Her mother’s final memory of T was a Facetime call. Answering her phone with her nose up the camera, she left her mom with the joy of her trademark humor and love one last time.
T’s mother, Natasha Terrones, provided the information for this narrative.
October 1, 1991- December 17, 2016-Age 25
Portrait Artists: Jeremy Hebbel
Narrative Writer: Willow Kline
