Cornelia Talbott

75, Brawley

Cornelia “Connie” Talbott grew up understanding the value of selfsufficiency.

Talbott had taken after the other women in her family. Her grandmother, an immigrant from Eastern Europe, owned and operated a grocery store in Aberdeen, Wash., and, before her younger brother was born, Talbott and her two older sisters were the ones tending to the house.

Strong will was a family trait that f lowed through the generations and ultimately to Talbott’s daughter, Sarah, who said her mother set an example as a curious, capable and caring person.

“There was never that sort of focus on ‘ You have to have a man do it for you’ or, you know, ‘ You’re a woman, so you can’t do those things.’ ” Sarah said.

“We were always very self- sufficient. She wanted to make sure that I knew how a car operated and how to change a tire.”

Talbott often demonstrated this through her ability to tinker with cars, specifically the family’s Datsun 240Z. Talbott maintained the car on her own for nearly 20 years.

“She was the one that did, you know, the basic maintenance on it,” Sarah said. Talbott would change the oil, replace the spark plugs and take care of f lat tires.

Besides her steadfast nature, Talbott never balked at taking care of anyone — or anything — in need. In addition to hosting her nieces and nephews during summers, Talbott had an affection for her furry family, at one point taking in 30 stray cats.

Sarah and her mother, who lived in Brawley, both began exhibiting COVID- 19 symptoms on May 12, and after visiting the emergency room in nearby El Centro, Talbott was admitted.

According to Sarah, Talbott’s pulmonologist “seemed really hopeful that she was gonna pull through, because that’s how she was. She was tenacious like that.”

But on May 24, days after receiving plasma therapy, Talbott died. She was 75.

Talbott is survived by her daughter; son, Adam; sisters, Paula and Sandra; and brother, Steve. She was proceeded in death by her husband, Clay.

— Astrid Kayembe