Sofronio V. Magtibay

Sofronio Verdadero Magtibay was born on March 11, 1930, official recording date of birth was March 12, 1930. Sofronio was born in the Philippines, in the Batangas province. Back in those days, it may take a day to get the officials to record a birth. Looking back, it was nice to be able to choose which date to celebrate your birthday.

Sofronio had to grow up fast and take on some heavy burdens when he was seven years old when his father died. It was at this early stage of his life that Sofronio learned that hard work, perseverance and being physically strong in body and mind were traits that would carry him forward in life. In 1954 Sofronio enlisted in the US Navy. Deploying on numerous WestPacs tours, teaching at the Naval Training Center as an Electricians Mate, Sofronio retired from the Navy at the rank of Senior Chief Petty Officer after serving his country for 21 years. Not one to just sit around, Sofronio went on the work for the City of San Diego in the Water Department. In this department, Sofronio spent many days and nights working on numerous projects with the water department. One of the most recognized projects was the monitoring and programming of the consumer water usage at each of the water stations. This was a project that garnered Sofronio much accolades for his in depth review of the water usage, programming the systems to ensure services were available when needed. After working with the city for 20 years, Sofronio retired for a second time.

In March 5, 1958 Sofronio married Rosario Armamento and were married for 48 years until her death in 2006. They raised five children: Milagros, Ricardo, Elizabeth, Sofronio Jr. and Eugene. Renee, Jonathan, Ryan, Alan, Kim and both Alexises make up the grandchildren pool. The family outings included going to Disneyland, the San Diego Zoo, the Drive-In theatres, and camping. The “Road Trips” became even more fun when Sofronio got the Big Blue extended van. Those road trips included going to Yosemite, up the west coast to the Bay Area, out to the desert area of Arizona and Nevada, and up the mountains of Utah and Colorado. The longer road trips were driving out to Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina and Eastern Canada. Sofronio loved going to as many national parks as they could visit. Driving was a thing he liked to do and it was relaxing. Having the big van meant that he was always the designated driver for most of the outings for the family or group functions.

Being part of and serving, as an officer of the Lobo Association and Spearhead Association of National City was an experience that was both rewarding and uplifting. Always someone who was the first to offer his assistance and help wherever needed, Sofronio felt a deep affection for these organizations. The Lobo Association allowed him to stay true to his Filipino heritage and pass on the family traditions to the younger generations.

Fun times were also spent in the garden growing vegetables, hosting family and friends at his home for dancing and karaoke. You’ll also find Sofronio tinkering around the vans to improve its driving comfort by devising some sort of new way to increase the amenities or adding something new to the house. Going fishing was one of Sofronio’s all-time favorite things to do. Catching the fish with skill and technique and bringing it home for dinner was the fun part of fishing. Going out to catch “the big fish” was the added adventure to going out in the ocean. Glad to say that Sofronio did catch that big fish. It didn’t get away and he did have the pictures to prove it.

Traveling home to the Philippines to visit family was a trip he loved. It was later in his life that Sofronio discovered cruising via a large cruise ship to be even more enjoyable. Cruise ship trips included going to Hawaii, Alaska and Europe visiting Spain, France, Montenegro, Italy and Croatia.

In 1995, Sofronio was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Choosing to go through surgery to remove his cancer allowed him to live cancer free for 17+ years. In 2012, Sofronio was again diagnosed with prostate cancer. The treatment this time involved various degrees of chemotherapy. Sofronio was not a person to allow the following years of treatments get is spirits down. As a man of strong mind and body, he knew that he would be able to fight and be able to beat this disease – and he did and was again in remission. During these trying times, Sofronio was still directing his family how he wanted his special projects to be done by providing very detailed instructions. It was with the family that loved him most dearly and he loved with his last breath that he was spent his last precious moments with.

Giving advice and sharing his knowledge and experiences in life is what Sofronio so freely gave of himself. Never give up, always try your best and to be true to yourself are words of wisdom that we will always take with us in our continued journey.

Arrangements under the direction of Glen Abbey Mortuary, Bonita, CA.