Leonora Rabara Ancheta

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved Leonora R. Ancheta. She left this world peacefully on Monday, October 30, 2023, in San Jose, CA as a result of natural causes related to her Alzheimer’s diagnosis. She was preceded in death by her husband Monico Aganad Ancheta and is survived by numerous relatives in the USA, the Philippines, and Italy.

Leonora was born in Cabugao, Ilocos Sur, Philippines on July 25, 1934 to Camilo and Margarita Rabara. She attended grade school in Daclapan and high school in Vigan, Ilocos Sur, and earned a cosmetology diploma in 1965 at the Araullo Evening Vocational School in Manila. Leonora also worked at US Tobacco in the Philippines before immigrating to Chicago, IL in January, 1965 to take care of Stephanie Vivit Lehmann and Edward Vivit (both children of Romeo and Elena Vivit). She remained with the Vivit family for six years before moving to Maryland to marry Monico Ancheta on December 31, 1970. The couple relocated to San Jose, CA in 1972, purchasing their beloved home in a prime neighborhood where many of their dear relatives also resided.

Leonora was a remarkable woman who consistently put her love into action, exhibiting a profound sense of family and civic responsibility throughout her life. She thoughtfully sent greeting cards to her many loved ones year after year and made the effort to attend countless family milestones like weddings, baptisms, anniversaries, and birthday celebrations. She possessed a sense of adventure, often traveling in the US and overseas just to be with her many family members. In addition, she organized fundraisers to benefit her hometown barrio through DAC-LA-PAN, USA, headquartered in San Jose. She was the Treasurer and her husband Monico was the Vice President of this organization in 1979 whose mission was to preserve Filipino identity, help Daclapan maintain its premier position in Cabugao, and promote the general welfare of Filipino-Americans. Leonora also belonged to the Cabugao Association of Northern California (CANCA) which promotes unity among its members who are originally from Cabugao, Ilocos Sur, Philippines, and reside in Northern California. She participated in many of their community-building and fundraising activities throughout the years. She organized fundraising bus trips to Reno to benefit her beloved Holy Cross Church, and frequently volunteered her time as an election poll worker in the San Jose community as a proud U.S. citizen.

An extremely hard and enthusiastic worker, Leonora had a long career in the electronics industry, eventually working her way to becoming a trainer at Fairchild and Xicor, both in Milpitas, CA. She was known to take minimal sick days, perform excellent quality work, and achieve strong dependability on the job. She would often speak fondly of her electronics work and her friendly co-workers. After she retired from Xicor in 1992, Leonora was able to secure a position as a cook at Great America where she once again quickly rose in the ranks. She was able to train and supervise many young workers who loved her joyful spirit while on the job. Leonora was also an entrepreneur who independently sold Avon and Mary Kay products for many years of her life.

In addition to her tremendous work ethic, Leonora was a woman of many talents who always made time for fun and meaningful activities in her life. She spent innumerable hours tending to her flower and vegetable gardens and lovingly prepared Filipino cuisine for the many family gatherings she hosted at her home. She truly enjoyed helping others in any way that she could. Her hospitality knew no bounds, as she never hesitated to open her residence to relatives and friends who needed a place to call home. Additionally, Leonora generously supported many members of her family financially in the US and abroad throughout most of her life.

Without a doubt, Leonora’s deep faith impacted the way she led her life. She sincerely lived out Jesus’ command to “Love one another as I have loved you.” She was always willing to offer a helping hand, a friendly greeting, or a warm smile to anyone who crossed her path. She had a way of making people feel special no matter who they were. Her refreshing authenticity truly set her apart, never pretending to be anyone but herself. Leonora possessed the unique quality of being open and candid, yet non-judgmental and playful in her communication, thus endearing her to everyone she met. May we always remember Leonora’s gracious spirit and continue to honor her by living out her legacy of unconditional love and boundless generosity throughout our lives.

We invite all who were touched by Leonora’s life to the following events:

-Visitation at Oak Hill Funeral Home in Chapel of the Roses (300 Curtner Ave, San Jose) from 12-530 pm on Sunday, Dec. 10

-Vigil/Memorial Service with Rosary, Eulogy, Sharing of Memories, Tribute Slideshow, and Special Music at Oak Hill Chapel of the Roses from 5:30-8 pm on Sunday, Dec.10

-Funeral Mass (without eulogy) at Holy Cross Parish (580 East Jackson St., San Jose) from 10-11 am on Monday, Dec.11.

-Interment at Oak Hill Memorial Park at 11:30 am.

-Celebration Luncheon, immediately following Interment.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to one or more of the following:

1) Alzheimer’s Association @ www.act.alz.org. This 501(c)(3) non-profit voluntary health organization focuses on Alzheimer’s disease care, support and research.

2) Holy Cross Church- 580 Jackson St. San Jose, CA 95112

3) Daclapan Chapel Reconstruction Project and/or Daclapan Elementary School (Contact Stephanie Lehmann, for more details.)

Let us know if you plan to attend the events on Dec. 10 and/or Dec. 11 by pressing the ‘Add a Memory” button below and leaving a comment. Please enter your name and the names of any people who will be attending with you. We also encourage you to share your stories, photos, and videos of our dear Leonora by pressing this button as well. Thank you in advance for your RSVP and for sharing your special memories with family and friends both near and far.

The Vigil/Memorial Service, Funeral Mass, and Interment will be live-streamed on YouTube. A link will be provided in corresponding order. In addition to the overall Slideshow, which will be the last link provided.

Vigil/Memorial Service:

https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://youtu.be/ZjgCNbA8-tQ?si=Zu68STNmrVjo_V7I__;!!M2D_dUfSiN4E!OrdP_YhaGO8brC4eZKN6Fa5tXeO2ATEyul3Rts6nYN6nLQ2wdFYSV82kKjogOp3g49kHzOzOyVz1knynL4rnAZzuArPVk9Zsl9uAk3_tPzU$

Funeral Mass:

https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://youtu.be/jXzwu2MMtCs?si=en4kFWQJrDkKFlv4__;!!M2D_dUfSiN4E!Pm-uxsMLjp-mPvnmClXPgKVVCxkLMw_Ooa7bc51P7Sbgc-zG0mWpC32u6a8k9O76a-k8js7xM4_L4rbFsTugksK7DpFGhvvsDDTqMXxzzaE$

Interment:

https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://youtu.be/BN1fL5fOTcc?si=Krj8DbttQjd2ScQr__;!!M2D_dUfSiN4E!MLxO8o2e7nJqjkimfVcXEIJf7drHnxgw8dSoSrU722BDuPiNlwl_R5wXFYBRAqHt4-RXdNLS5x22eg8D7m6JUcBlzyj2IbEU0EhWdfkTr68$

Slideshow:

https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://youtu.be/PTqBorM-c_U?si=N-nXIkcRFpvzWzpO__;!!M2D_dUfSiN4E!M_kN1QRm-QFfKP6mSklkpRwmEScCnLl_joa9pRIQdF5TwywMOOMoCF7xVK97xLKPSidwK1yQVN0MR0dZNVPAfq_4k4m5v8KJeS1ytuwlRRk$[