Deogracias Maniego Jr.

A visitation for Deogracias (Jhun) will be held Saturday, June 17, 2023 from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM food and refreshments to accompany throughout the viewing in the Magnolia room at Glen Abbey Memorial Park and Mortuary, 3838 Bonita Road, Bonita, CA 91902. A funeral service will occur Sunday, June 18, 2023 from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM at Glen Abbey Memorial Park and Mortuary, 3838 Bonita Road, Bonita, CA 91902. A committal service will occur Sunday, June 18, 2023 from 12:30 PM to 1:00 PM at 4619 - Glen Abbey Memorial Park and Mortuary, 3838 Bonita Road, Bonita, CA 91902. Food and refreshments to follow after the funeral at Jhun and Tess's residence in San Diego, CA.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.glenabbeysandiego.net for the Maniego family.

Obituary:

When Deogracias T Maniego Jr. walked into the room, those in his company felt energy, an enthusiastic spontaneity. This was just one example of who Jhun was and how he impacted those around him. Jhun was a clever and gregarious person who always sought out the finest attributes in other people. It was as if Jhun wanted to share all of their experiences, revel in their lives and celebrate their discoveries. Jhun was tireless and had boundless enthusiasm that would serve him well throughout his life.

Jhun was born on April 21, 1953 at Philippines in Tarlac. He was the son of Iluminada and Deogracias (George) Maniego Sr. Jhun was raised in Philippines. Always at the ready with a good joke, he grew up to be quite a humorous person. While some who knew Jhun might describe him as an idealist, his friends and family understood well that Jhun was always in pursuit of life’s endless possibilities and opportunities available to him.

Jhun was raised with 10 siblings including him. He had two older brothers, two older sisters, three younger brothers and two younger sisters. Jhun was very accepting and supportive of his family. He was perceived as the central person in his family in terms of keeping communication open between the family members. Whenever discord or tension arose within the home, Jhun was typically the member who brought about resolution and harmony. These traits served Jhun well in his adult life and, along with his wit, outgoing personality, and understanding of others, drew the admiration of many who knew him.

As a young boy, Jhun was able to empathize and identify with a vast array of people and personality types. This quality drew him into a diverse group of friends and acquaintances. Jhun was intelligent and had little trouble getting along with his peers. He was almost always the first to jump in when it came to playing games or participating in other childhood activities. In his spare time he liked to play the guitar with his younger brother Virgilio who died at a very young age due to an illness. Jhun had the ability to find amusement with almost any activity he and the many childhood friends he shared might discover.

During his high school years, Jhun responded enthusiastically to any new project and was regularly in search of one adventure after another. Jhun was a very good student, and generally did well in his courses. Jhun absorbed as much as he could from all of his teachers and was consistently able to tackle conceptual and abstract problems, using his imagination to master his assignments. For Jhun, school often became just an extension of playtime, thanks to his ability to turn just about anything into a game. Classmates considered Jhun a good listener, knowing that when necessary, they could go to him to discuss just about anything. His favorite class in high school was everything. He was naturally smart even when he had to take a year off of school to help his family work on their family farm when at a very young age but when he returned to school he was ahead of the class and a teacher’s pet. He was a teacher’s pet because he was respectful and academically smart.

Jhun did well in college, as a result of his comfort level with tackling new theories and his love of learning. He went to Feati University with an Engineering degree and the Philippine Air Force college in Advanced ROTC. He became an officer for Philippine Airforce then later joined the US Navy sometime after his youngest daughter was born in 1982 and left for the US a day after his daughter was born to make a new life for his family. He was finally reunited with his family in the Philippines around the time his daughter was 3 years old which he later brought his family with him to accompany him with his US Navy tour to Atsugi, Japan, Naval Station Guam, and Honolulu, Hawaii. Jhun was very adaptable, a quality that helped him make the transition from constant traveling with his family with little difficulty. As a result, Jhun's problem solving skills and thirst for new knowledge almost guaranteed that he enjoyed virtually every real life adventures with his family. Jhun was always in quest of new things to learn and experience especially when it came to food. He was a foodie!

With a talent for making acquaintances easily which in turn brought him an endless stream of friends, Jhun was very sociable and could blend without effort into any social group. Assertive and outgoing, Jhun was easy to know and demonstrated a deep concern for others. He always seemed aware of what was going on with people around him and throughout his life he made many, many friends. While growing up, his best friend was his sibling Virgilio.

Jhun's skill at “building bridges” played an important role in his ability to make his new family happy. He was quite sensitive towards Taciana's needs, showing his constant concern and fondness. Jhun was tenderhearted and sensitive, qualities that served him well in helping to nurture his family.

Jhun was a natural and creative parent who was willing to provide his family with all sorts of new and interesting experiences. For Jhun, parenting was a particularly enjoyable and pleasurable part of his life. Every activity, from chores to bedtime routines, became a game in the Maniego home. Jhun's skill at understanding his children's feelings, his sensitivity to their needs, and his gift for gentle persuasion enabled him to find novel solutions to any problem or situation that might crop up.

Jhun was uplifted by new ideas and was excited by life’s possibilities, traits that made him an exceptional worker. His primary occupation was working as a civilian in the US Navy as a Merchant Marine to provide logistic support for the Navy and Marine. He was employed for 20 years in the US Navy then retired and employed for 20 more years with the Military Sealift Command. Jhun was enterprising, inventive and working against deadlines seemed to energize him. Jhun had the uncanny ability to identify a win/win solution to just about any problem, possibly because of his gift for insight. Jhun's fellow workers saw him as a supporter and a mentor.

Jhun was a Navy veteran. He was stationed in Japan, Guam, Hawaii and San Diego with his family. Through his hard work and dedication. His fellow soldiers could count on him for being able to make adjustments to any situation as needed.

Because Jhun loved to have a broad variety of activities in his life, he took advantage of the opportunity to pursue numerous hobbies. His favorite pursuits were playing the guitar and was an avid collector. He loved it and could play any tune by ear and was amazingly talented. Jhun had a knack for being able to multi-task in order to create time for all of his favorite pastimes. However, Jhun's ever-present concern for others always took precedent.

Jhun derived much satisfaction from participating in and watching sports. His charisma, supportive nature and ability to improvise when called upon to do so all made perfect attributes for enjoying a great many sporting activities. Jhun was also something of a sports fan and enjoyed watching his favorite events whenever he got the opportunity. Tops on his list were football and basketball.

Throughout his life, Jhun was actively involved in professional and community organizations. He was compassionate, accommodating and quick to move into action. Always able to build a consensus, Jhun seemed to be the person smack dab in the middle of things, working to get things done. Those who had the opportunity to work with Jhun usually agreed that when you were involved in an organization with him, it was as entertaining as anything you could imagine. Throughout his later years, Jhun was an active member of the Freemasonry Fraternity.

Jhun was a man who was dedicated and devoted to his faith. Born and raised Catholic. He was sympathetic and able to empathize with others and he used these qualities to the fullest while working tirelessly for his beliefs.

Jhun was a lover of animals and cherished his pet. Koa, an English Bulldog, was a best friend for 4 years.

He adapted and, like everything in his life, made it satisfying. Because he was such a flexible person and able to adjust to any situation, retirement was just another enjoyable change of pace for Jhun to master. His new life involved relocating with his wife to to San Diego to be closer to his daughter. Even in retirement, Jhun continued to stay in touch with his old friends and like always, made plenty of new ones. He also was not ready to sit around and do nothing so he continued serving as a Civilian with the US Navy which gave him purpose and drive to continue sharing his expertise and knowledge to younger generations while still serving our country.

Jhun Maniego passed away on June 10, 2023 at UCSD Thornton Hospital La Jolla. Jhun fought a brave battle against cancer for over 3 years. He is survived by his wife Taciana; his children Melvin, Virgo and Melanie; and his grandchildren Kyle, Kyel, Kyela, Malia, Makayla, Anellalani, Rylan and baby NJ. Services will be held at Chapel of the Roses at Glen Abbey in Bonita, California. Jhun will be laid to rest on Father’s day June 18, 2023 at Glen Abbey Memorial Park and Mortuary.

There was always a certain style and inventiveness to Jhun. He was a dynamic, self-expressive person who was forever looking to celebrate the endless possibilities life had to offer. He had a knack for being clever, creative and witty, and for others, was a joy to be around. While he was often fiercely independent, it seemed as if many others looked to Jhun Maniego for inspiration, leadership, wisdom and even courage. Jhun was always more than willing to share life’s experiences with his loved ones.