A Death in my Family...
My Grandmother, Inang, was born on August 30th, 1910 in Tarlac, Philippines: the third of six daughters. Inang emerged as the most practical of the six, as well as a tomboy of sorts. She preferred buying and selling onions and hay (animal feed) to earn more money for her family instead of the boring and less lucrative job of seamstress, the common career of young woman in rural Philippines.
At age 19, she married my Grandfather and started a family. After having her third child, the Japanese invaded then occupied her country. My Grandfather went underground and worked in the resistance. He was later arrested, interned, and suffered horrendous treatment for the remainder of the occupation. During the war, my grandmother took her family to Sta. Rosa where she struggled, scraping by and at times scavenging to survive. After the Philippines were liberated, my Grandparents reunited and resettled in San Jose, where her incredibly industrious nature and wise business acumen helped develop two grocery businesses and a rice distribution center, which still stands today.
Inang went on to have seven more children and in 1974 left home, husband, family, and country to immigrate to the US with my sister and me. After helping raise us, she moved to help raise four grandchildren in San Mateo. Then she moved to Tahoe to help raise another grandchild and then a great grand child. She stayed in Tahoe to care for a beloved aunt who fought and eventually succumbed to cancer. Inang then moved back to the Bay Area to help raise two more grandchildren.
She petitioned a dozen family members to immigrate to America and was there to proudly celebrate her many grandchildren’s college graduations, weddings, and the births of many great grandchildren.
She left us last Thursday Feb. 14th at the age of 97. Her family was with her the night she passed. Subsequently, my family has had four days of get-togethers, a wake, a vigil, a Mass, and finally a Funeral yesterday. Family have come from as far as the Philippines to pay their respects to our family Matriarch. She leaves the world with 10 children, 25 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren.
Over the past several days, my family have reminisced and celebrated an incredible life. Despite her small stature, Inang was true Rock of a person. We all half expected her to out-live all of us...I personally wanted her to live forever. She is the kindest person I will ever meet, the most devoted grandmother I will ever know, and her legacy of personal sacrifice is one that will continue to inspire us for the rest of our lives.
I will miss her and will never forget her.
At age 19, she married my Grandfather and started a family. After having her third child, the Japanese invaded then occupied her country. My Grandfather went underground and worked in the resistance. He was later arrested, interned, and suffered horrendous treatment for the remainder of the occupation. During the war, my grandmother took her family to Sta. Rosa where she struggled, scraping by and at times scavenging to survive. After the Philippines were liberated, my Grandparents reunited and resettled in San Jose, where her incredibly industrious nature and wise business acumen helped develop two grocery businesses and a rice distribution center, which still stands today.
Inang went on to have seven more children and in 1974 left home, husband, family, and country to immigrate to the US with my sister and me. After helping raise us, she moved to help raise four grandchildren in San Mateo. Then she moved to Tahoe to help raise another grandchild and then a great grand child. She stayed in Tahoe to care for a beloved aunt who fought and eventually succumbed to cancer. Inang then moved back to the Bay Area to help raise two more grandchildren.
She petitioned a dozen family members to immigrate to America and was there to proudly celebrate her many grandchildren’s college graduations, weddings, and the births of many great grandchildren.
She left us last Thursday Feb. 14th at the age of 97. Her family was with her the night she passed. Subsequently, my family has had four days of get-togethers, a wake, a vigil, a Mass, and finally a Funeral yesterday. Family have come from as far as the Philippines to pay their respects to our family Matriarch. She leaves the world with 10 children, 25 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren.
Over the past several days, my family have reminisced and celebrated an incredible life. Despite her small stature, Inang was true Rock of a person. We all half expected her to out-live all of us...I personally wanted her to live forever. She is the kindest person I will ever meet, the most devoted grandmother I will ever know, and her legacy of personal sacrifice is one that will continue to inspire us for the rest of our lives.
I will miss her and will never forget her.
posted by supergoober at
4:26 PM
2 Comments:
My sympathies P...she sounds like she was a wonderful woman. It's sad that she's left us, but she got to live for 97 years!!! That's a helluva a lifetime man.
You got that right. Our family celebrated as much as we mourned. In a life's checklist of "to do's", she certainly got all of them checked off and then some.
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