Carmen Vila Rodriguez passed away peacefully at home on July 14, 2014, two days before her 87th birthday. A life long artist and art teacher, Connie, as she was known to many friends, was born in New York City on July 16, 1927. Connie attended Hunter College and received her doctorate from Columbia University. She also studied art at the University of Mexico, The University of Madrid, the California College of Arts and Crafts and at New York's Art Students League. With her dear cousin, Sari, Connie ran her own sportswear styling firm in New York in the forties, before becoming a full time Art teacher at the Eastchester (New York) Middle School, where she taught for 36 years. Dr. Rodriguez also authored the Visual Instructional Library Arts (VILA) Program, teaching the history of Western Art from Elementary to Adult levels through libraries and other outlets in the United States and abroad. Many of her students are luminaries in the world of art. Her own work has won awards in the U.S. and abroad and is in private and corporate collections. She was predeceased by her dear husband of more than sixty years, Sabino Rodriguez. Jr. (d October 13, 2012). They lived together in Caracas, Venezuela, Scarsdale, NY, Norwalk, CT, and Daytona Beach Shores, FL. Connie is survived by her two sons, Sabino III (Rod) and Manuel Vincent, and her five grandchildren Laura, Lexi, Tracy, Linnea and Daniel, and a loving extended family in Florida, Colombia, Mexico and elsewhere. Contributions in her memory can be made to Planned Parenthood or your local HOSPICE. 85472117.1