Mary was born on January 3, 1930, in Balanga, Bataan, Philippines. She received her Bachelor of Science in Education from Far Eastern University, Manila, Philippines. Mary continued to work as a grade-school teacher for 20 years until she decided to start her own business in trading and selling goods. On September 19, 1953, she married Domingo Cimatu and raised 8 children, which led to 22 grandchildren, 9 great-grandchildren, and two more great-grandchildren on the way. Domingo and Mary decided to leave the Philippines and move to the United States in 1987. She lived in various cities in the state of IL, and most recently in Gurnee for 32 years. During that time, she worked at the Navy Exchange sewing uniforms for US Navy Soldiers for almost 10 years.
As many of you know, Mary was a God-fearing woman. Throughout her life, she was unassuming and loved sharing the word of God. She loved to read the Bible and was very keen on memorizing Bible verses by heart. Her favorite verses were Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; And lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
As for hobbies, she loved to cook and had a great appetite for delicious food, especially pancit palabok. Not surprisingly this was one of the foods she requested before going to Heaven. She also enjoyed traveling and was able to visit many countries within Asia and Europe with many of her loved ones. Her favorite pastime was watching Korean Drama on Netflix and she even had a collection of Korean DVDs that filled up her entire bedroom.
Mary’s most outstanding quality was her generosity. She was always willing to give to those in need.
She lived a full and warm life, filled with joy and happiness that provided comfort to anyone around her. She will be fondly remembered and sorely missed by many.
Her beautiful life will forever be cherished in the lives of her Children, Grandchildren, Great-grandchildren, and Predeceased.
o Children (in order of date of birth, and their spouses): Loida & Ver, Victor & Gloria, Pitet & Homer, Ronie & Tetay, Beng, Bong & Van, Jimmy & Precious, and Dodit & Cathy
o Grandchildren: Inky, Billy, Tren, Tin, Jay, Victor, Chino, Rachel, Alek, Jigs, Kela, Kelvin, Germaine, Teepee, Nikolai, Tone, Yobe, Ara, Nathan, Gaby, Sammy, and Audrey
o Great-grandchildren: Michelle, Linus, Kaela, Shawn, Ornan, Fia, Paul, Ruth, Amiela
o Predeceased by:
Spouse: Domingo P. Cimatu
Children: Victor J. Cimatu
Siblings: Joel Jimenez and Rizalina Banzon
Friends and family are invited to attend a memorial service on Friday, May 7, 2021, at 10:00 AM at Marsh Funeral Home (305 N Cemetery Rd, Gurnee, IL 60031). After the short service, we will proceed to Warren Cemetery (1475 N Cemetery Rd, Gurnee, IL 60031).
Flowers and condolences may be sent to 5135 Barons Ct, Gurnee, IL 60031. We would like to thank the staff at Advocate Condell Medical Center, Marsh Funeral Home, and Warren Cemetery for their efforts and arrangements.
COMPARTA UN OBITUARIO
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