Elizabeth J. Dimayuga

Elizabeth is survived by her children Jose & wife Victoria Poblete, Diana and husband Enric Pasculado, Roberto & wife Angelina Obsum, Deborah & husband Gil Quizon, Michael and wife Eloisa Garcia, Steven & wife Emcee Briones, David & wife Ana Ventura, Patrick & wife Gilda Ignacio, Paul & wife Ana Jose, Elizabeth & husband Brian Hunnicut, and Margaret & husband Marc Spieldenner; sisters Judith Rodgers Gainer & Virginia Rodgers Beerman, grandchildren Edward, Eric, Carlos, Christine, Alexandra, Melissa, Catherine, Derek, Natalia, Karen, Andrew, Daniel, Joshua, Kimberly, Madeline, Julia, Lukas, Nathan, Ian, Christian & Maia; and great-grandchildren Madalina, Olivia, Lennon, Liam & Roman.

Elizabeth was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, by her parents Edward Rodgers & Margaret Mattingly. At the age of 23 she met a young doctor from the Philippines, Celestino Dimayuga, and they were married 6 months later on July 5, 1952. A few years and three children later they moved to the Philippines where the couple spent the next 35 years raising a family of 11 children, and lived their lives in the service of the poor. Elizabeth was a devout catholic and spent time giving Family Life lectures, and was a member of the civic organization Daughters of Isabela.

She was affectionately known around the neighborhood as the “The Amerikana” and was called “Mommy” or “Mama Betty” by the neighborhood children. For a long time she was the sole American in the town. She was a source of enlightenment and delight to our neighbors, and on the receiving end of good-natured ribbing over her “strange” ways, which she bore with good humor and dignity. She opened the eyes of a lot of people to the American way of life; she introduced them to the wonders of apple pie, and she made a wicked banana cream pie.

Elizabeth and Celestino returned to the United States and she finally saw her family again after a long and painful separation. They spent their retirement years in Houston, Texas, raising their growing brood of grandchildren, traveling and catching up with her family in St. Louis. She was widowed 18 months ago, but she did not let the pain of her husband’s passing hold her back. After a battle with numerous health issues that would have defeated a lesser person, she fought her way back to better health, and was full of plans for travel and adventure and was looking forward to seeing all her great-grandkids, when she was taken unexpectedly.

A Wake & Public Viewing will be held at Memorial Oaks at 13001 Katy Freeway, Houston, Texas from 6-8 pm on Monday, December 8, 2014. A mass of remembrance will be held at 9 am On Tuesday, December 9, 2014 at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 12627 West Bellfort Rd., Sugarland, Texas.