Friends and Family Celebrate the Life of Esther Marino

More than 100 people gathered Wednesday morning at St. Edward the Confessor Catholic Church in Dana Point to celebrate the life of Esther Marino, 76, who died suddenly train station tracks.

Marino’s Toyota Camry was traveling at a high speed as she traveled down when it hit a curb and jumped over a chain-link fence before it hit the train tracks below, officials say.

Friends and family packed into the church with tissues in hand to pay their respects and say their goodbyes.

Louis Marino, her husband of 55 years, was in attendance. The couple had met during their high school years in Torrance.

Together, they had four children: Anthony, Nicholas, Margaret and Deborah. Every Sunday, Esther would have all of the children over for a family dinner. There are also three grandchildren.

She was the “glue that held the family together,” said Father Mel Long.

Esther was born and raised in an Italian family in New Jersey. She worked in the accounting department at JCPenney in Torrance for 17 years before moving to South Orange County. Esther liked to keep herself busy and worked with the Capistrano Unified School District, said Long.

Please share your memories of her. Tell us in the comments.