Cecilia Anson

She was the youngest of six from Esteban Crescini Jose and Apolinaria Ilaya delaPaz. Her oldest maternal sister, Adelina delaPaz Lapan and afterwards came Soledad Jose Plata, Asuncion Jose Santos, Teresita Jose Jones, Ernesto Jose, Esteban Jose Jr, and then my mom. Growing up, my Lola Poleng my mom’s mom, would tell me stories of how she would climb trees, play with slingshots and play tag with all of the boys in the neighborhood. They thought she was rough around the edges until she entered high school. She worked at the soda fountain and that’s where she met my dad. At the time, she had just turned 18 and had fallen head over heels in love with my Dad. To make the long story short, my Lolo Teban invited my mom to their office dance and that eventually led to her being my Dad’s date. This story is so funny because my dad was the one who told me this and how it led to them getting eloped in Manila because she had such a big crush on him! They were married at the San Roque Parish Church on June 4, 1949, and on September 7, 1950 I was born.

My mom was a homemaker, raising us was her work, and she took care of all seven of us. I was born first, then Rolando (Bode), Soledad (Olai), Cynthia (Cheng), Ronald (Boboy), Roberto (Bobby) and finally our bunso, Anthony (Tongge). She was strict and kept us in a routine. After school, lunch, shower and then siesta. If we ever went out to play she expected us to be home at a certain time or else you’d get the stick or the slipper. Although she was strict, she did everything out of love.

Before bedtime she would tell us a bunch of stories. Sometimes it would be about the Japanese Occupation of the Philippines, and other times it would be about her being the local Shirley Temple – which was my favorite. There was a theater in her town and every time there was a showing of Shirley Temple they would dress up my Mom, put her in a caroza and she would be paraded around the city to announce that the movie was being shown! She was so proud of herself. She even had a picture that she showed me once where she was dressed like a cowgirl and the resemblance was uncanny.

Growing up, I used to see my Mom do the laundry, dishes and chores for all seven of us. I can’t even imagine how difficult that must have been! Eventually, we were able to get her some help and as we got older we helped her as well. When I said she was a homemaker, she was in every sense of the word. The house was made, the food was cooked, the kids were taken cared of and we were all loved. We were her first priority, always.

Our life changed when my Mom and Dad left for the United States in 1980. They settled in San Diego since two of my Dad’s brothers lived here; Tito Dan and Tito Vic. My Mom worked as a manager in a private nursing home owned by a Filipina woman. She missed us, and working felt wrong if we weren’t by her side. She didn’t work at the nursing home for too much longer after that. In 1992 my dad passed away and she was heartbroken, but more than the rest of us. That was the love of her life, and partner. To help with the loss and the pain I had her join fellow seniors who were dancing at KP. She had a lot of fun there, and made friends but I noticed her mental health slowly decline. She started to forget and lose things, so we figured it was best she stayed at home and stuck to what she was best at: homemaking. Although her children were all grown up, it didn’t stop her from raising her grandchildren. It brought light back into her life, and she felt like the old her. In 2013 I took her to a neurologist and they confirmed her diagnosis of Dementia. Slowly over time we could see that her memory was drifting away, but her strong spirit was always present. She sometimes wouldn’t remember us, but she would never let go of our hands. She always remembered her love for us, which I will never forget.

On January 19th, her 90th birthday, God called my Mom - asking her to join Him. She graciously accepted, never losing her faith and finally went back home. Physically, she has left but we will always carry her in our hearts where she lives happily with our dad.

My mom is survived by her seven children, two sons-in law, five daughters-in law, nineteen grandchildren, and thirty five great grandchildren. Her life was filled with joy, family, and unconditional love.

Thank you for the love and care you gave us...... We love you, Ma. We will miss you, but we know you are all around us. Till we meet again..... Vaya con Dios 💕💕💕