Rene T. Urzua

Rene Thomas Urzua-Corona has departed our company this week at 83 years of age. A true lover of all varieties of traditional ethnic music, ancestral folk dances, art, and beauty, there was no love he held higher than his love for his beloved and devoted wife of 54 years, Margaret “Peggy” Toomey-Urzua. Rene and his best friend/constant companion/song and dance partner spent a blissful lifetime together traveling the world to explore their shared fascination for native cultures and cuisines.

Rene was born in Santiago, Chile in 1942, son of the late Mario Urzua and Ena Corona, and brother of Virginia, Corina, Ruben, and Mario (deceased). A lifelong learner and teacher, Rene graduated from the University of Santiago and would go on to specialize in teaching English, Spanish, and Music. After marrying his greatest love in 1970, he would go on to earn a Masters of Education from the University of Hartford in 1973. Their sense of adventure would take them on missionary work to the Peruvian Altiplano for the next two years before returning stateside to settle first in Bethlehem, PA for 25 years and later in Pittsburgh for 25 years. Never content to live a sedentary life, Rene always sought to balance his time between his work as a teacher and his love for performance of traditional folk music and dancing in numerous latin musical groups at various Pittsburgh Folk Festivals. As avid explorers Rene and Peggy loved to visit foreign lands together in search of new songs, dances, and stories to tell. As a naturalized U.S. Citizen, Rene possessed a deeply held passion for the stories of the diverse ethnic groups that made Pennsylvania the productive heart of his adopted country…especially those told through music and movement. He taught locally at Angela Merici in White Oak and Northside Catholic Assumption Academy. He loved to share the tales of the indigenous peoples of the Americas with his nieces and nephews, often as the prelude to an epic song played on the guitar or one of his Andean flutes. Having lived a life of service to his communities as a teacher, performer, storyteller, and parishioner, the greatest challenge of his life came in the form of Parkinson’s disease which stole from him his mellifluous voice and ability to play his instruments. With family beside him, his final days were spent in the unwavering care of his beloved wife Margaret, with the support of family, friends, and the kind compassion of Advanced Hospice Care.

Family and friends are invited to visit O’Brien’s Funeral Home, 3724 California Avenue, Pittsburgh from 3-7pm Thursday June 19th.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10 a.m. Friday June 20th at St. Cyril Church followed by burial at Christ Our Redeemer Cemetery. 

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