Eleanor "Noly" Mendoza Cayetano

Funeral services for Eleanor Cayetano, 78, of Kingwood, will be held at 11:00am, Thursday, October 27, 2022 at St. Martha Catholic Church, 4301 Woodridge Parkway, Porter, Texas. Interment will be held at 2:00pm at Houston National Cemetery. A reception will be held after the burial from 3:00 –5:00pm, at Kingwood Funeral Home, 22800 Hwy 59 N., Kingwood, Texas.

Visitation will be held from 5:00-8:00pm, Wednesday, October 26, 2022 at Kingwood Funeral Home, with the Rosary being recited at 7:00pm.

Eleanor “Noly” Mendoza Cayetano, age 78, passed away peacefully at home in Kingwood, Texas on October 14, 2022, with her 3 loving children and son-in-law by her side.

Noly was a devout Catholic and a devoted wife to her husband Avelino for 53 years, who preceded her in death a short one year and 5 months previously. Noly also deeply loved her 3 children Elane, Evelyn and Alvin and cherished her grandchildren Leo, Jaynie, Evie, Aaron and Faith. The obvious joy shined brightly on her face whenever any of her children or grandchildren would come over for a visit. If you ever visited Noly, you could be sure that food would be served and you would never leave hungry from her house.

Noly was born in Manila, Philippines on July 6, 1944 to parents Emilio and Elena Mendoza and was the 8th of 9 brothers and sisters. She graduated as a Medical Technologist from Centro Escolar University. Shortly after graduation, she married her husband, Abe, and they moved to the United States.

Eleanor was a faithful Army wife for 22 years accompanying her husband on his military tours to Georgia, Arizona, Texas, and Germany - Darmstadt, Bamberg, and Frankfurt. During their time overseas, Noly liked to keep busy and worked hard as a postal clerk, bowling alley attendant, and even a stint as kitchen police aka KP at the mess hall. By far though, her favorite pastime in Germany was shopping for beautiful things. She accumulated an impressive collection of Hummel figurines in Germany that Berta Hummel, herself, would have been proud to own. In addition to shopping, Abe and Noly enjoyed traveling with their 3 young children all over Europe - taking in the sights of Paris, Pisa, Venice, Rome, Salzburg, Amsterdam, most of Bavaria, and enjoying numerous other places.

Upon their return to the United States, Noly continued her career as a Medical Technologist, that she had initially started in Ft. Huachuca, Arizona. She worked at Alpha Plasma Center in Killeen and then Darnall Army Hospital in Ft. Hood from where she ultimately retired as a civil servant.

For many years, Abe and Noly led an active social life as members of the Filipino American Association of Central Texas. They could be found dancing the night away at many FILAM gatherings. They celebrated special occasions, created fond memories and made lifelong friends. As a couple, they were faithful churchgoers of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Killeen, St. Paul Chong Hasang Catholic Church in Harker Heights, and more recently of St. Martha Catholic Church in Kingwood.

Noly and Abe were inseparable globetrotters after their retirement. They sailed on cruise ships to interesting destinations such as Aruba, Alaska, and Panama. They went on pilgrimages with church groups and journeyed with friends and senior organizations to Canada, Egypt, Israel, China, South Korea, Russia, and the Mediterranean. They traditionally spent Noly’s birthday week in Las Vegas to have fun with her nieces Lilian, Emily, Daisy, and Melody and welcomed whoever else showed up at their timeshare.

In 2018, Noly was diagnosed with dementia. Although her memory and health was failing, her polite and courteous manner never wavered. She thanked every single caregiver and doctor that came to see her or laid hands on her. She would even compliment the phlebotomist who gave her a painless stick in the arm.

Noly will be remembered for her abiding love of God, fondness for her husband and loving concern for her children and grandchildren; her beautiful smile and silly jokes; her willingness to always go with the flow and her generosity to others. Noly’s family and friends can take comfort in knowing that Noly is resting in peace, free from sickness, in Heaven with her dearly beloved husband, Abe. Smile when you think of Noly, because she is certainly smiling down on all of us.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.kingwoodfuneralhome.com for the Cayetano family.