Dearest Mom, 
You left our lives much too soon, but we will all be alright because of your love. I can truly say I am the man I am today in kind because of you, and my upbringing. Whenever I am complemented many people say the common adage, "Your Mother taught you well." Yes, you did. You taught me to always respect your elders. I remember you giving me the phone to speak to relatives and friends when I was a youth. I didn't understand that value until I grew older and I see the same timidness in my own daughter when I pass her the phone. I hope she grows to have the same understanding that I have now. I remember as a teenager, we took a trip to San Francisco and one morning after spending the night in the hotel I watched as you made the bed and I asked, "Why are you making the bed when the maids will just do it?" You told me, "To always try to leave things a better place." I try to hold on to that mantra today in all aspects of my life.I remember almost not completing my degree. Only you knew this and gave me the tough Motherly love push to complete it telling me that my future would depend on it. Well, I can't imagine if I had given up. I would not be blessed without it. I was your "date" several years to accompany you to many Filipino cultural events. I witnessed your leadership and how well you could hold a crowd in your hands with your grace and humor. You showed me how to be a true gentleman. Open doors, assist people in need, and look people in eye when speaking. "Mano Po" to the elders. You took me to buy my first suit. I owe my style to yours, classy and classic. As one of your children, you made us feel so very special with your unconditional love. Through my ups and downs in life you were always there for me. You were the best Grandmother. Loving, doting, and even stern when needed. I am so proud to have had a mother such as you. Lastly and perhaps most importantly, the one gift you taught me was to accept God in my life. I truly understand now about forgiveness, charity, and mercy. I will miss our little talks of so many things to even name. Even if we didn't always end on common ground it was respectful and eventually it worked out. Although I am heartbroken I am stronger because you are with me I know. I love you Mom, Mahal kita Ina. Rest in peace. Love, your son, Joel

Tita Juliet,
U will always be in my heart. I remember when you and Tito Ariston attended our wedding day.....You hug me so tight and looked at me straight to my eyes while holding both of my shoulders you said: "I know you will be happy together, respect and love one another. Always put HIM first before anything else". I will treasure that in my heart and in my mind forever!!!

juliet in my mind you will forever be alive.  you lived life and lived it so well.  you never let anything get you down.  your enthusiasm, charisma, and  exuberance is as contagious as your laughter and  your smile.  rest in peace my friend. i know you are now in the company of angles.

Take comfort in knowing that now you have a special guardian angel to watch over you.

The pain of losing a close companion or loved one is unbearable & cannot be measured. We can only comfort you & your family in the mighty name of the Lord that he be with you throughout this difficult time. May her soul keep progressing! 
#Songs dedicated: 1. God be with you - Till we meet again. 
2. It is well with my song.

So sorry to hear of the loss of your wife, Julie. May God
bless you & your family during this most difficult time.

My EULOGY FOR MY WIFE,JULIET RINGER-AWITAN---12/28/2013

 

Julie, Beloved, before I speak to my friends, let me say this to you: I will always love you, GoodBye, ‘till we meet again.

May the Lord Jesus Christ and Blessed Mother Mary, take you safely  to your abode in heaven of eternal happiness, 

Almighty Father, I ask this in the name of Jesus, your Son, Who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, One God forever and ever, Amen.

My Friends,

Julie's departure  is just like extinguishing a candle at late dawn  because a brighter light of a new day is at hand.

I  know , that if there is ever  a way, she would be  preparing right now materials for her Column, “Can We Talk” for the Manila Headline. Because  I know she had never been a  quitter. She had her lap tap, while lying down on bed,  writing her Column  even three weeks prior to her demise.

She was educated  in Sisters  Servants of the Holy Spirit and   attended the University of San Francisco.

She obtained the degree of Doctor of Jurisprudence from the University  of Houston Law Center in May, 1986 and was admitted to the Texas State Bar six months later, on November 7, 1986, then  she  went into private practice serving the Filipino-American Community.

For the last three decades, she wrote a bi-monthly informative column “CAN WE TALK ?”  in the local community papers, the Manila Headline, the Fil-Am Press, and  the Philippine Observer.

She chaired the  Filipino-American Council of South Texas ( FACOST) from 2001 to 2002 and was  the Founding President of the Philippines Cultural Foundation, Inc.  which mirrors her passion for the propagation and preservation of Filipino  cultural traditions   among Filipino-American youth.

She had been awarded the Excellence Award of the Knights of Rizal. She loves singing , Shirley Bassey and Barbra Streisand being her big favorites.

 

 Born in Bauan Batangas, the youngest  of four siblings , Julie  has always remained a  true  Filipina by heart,  in spite of  the multiple residences   that she had settled  in  several countries  of the world ,  after she left the Philippines   in  the 60's.

Although she had been visible  and outspoken in the Filipino Community  in the  Houston areas,  as evidenced by her numerous friends  who love her,  Julie is basically a private  person

who does not want to bother  and impose on anybody, so it has been a common knowledge,  that some of her close friends were shocked, learning that she passed away, because they were just  talking  by phone  every few days  few weeks before, with no mention of her medical condition. 

I know her very well, that she forgives,  although she does not forget   any  uncomfortable life  experiences  she encountered in her  relationships with people around her. 

She is a good friend, a good mother, my counselor, my protector,  and my

best wife. For some reasons, many people predicted when we got married , that  our marriage would not last long,

but  we proved them wrong,

because here I am after almost 18 years,

“ to death do us part”

 

 

 Julie will be missed by her  three children, her sister and brother, relatives  and numerous friends  whom she loved  and had shared her  life.  I'll miss her. I will miss her  love  and devotion,  and   I guess 

my haircut will be done  now  by somebody  else,    after  over 17 years !

(My friends, please HOLD your applause until I finish mentioning the names of the following generous people.)

I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE FOLLOWING FOR THEIR GENEROUS SERVICE AND PRAYERS FOR  JULIE AND OUR FAMILY)

Monsignor  Seth Hermoso, 

Monsignor  Roland Diokno, 

Fr. Luke  Manuel,  

Fr. A Jayaraj, our spiritual son who 

came  all the way from Montgomery Alabama to join this  Funeral Mass, of her spiritual mother, Julie

_______________________________________

Deacon  _Rev. Mr. Elie Calonge,

Deacon Rev. Mr. Anthony Olsovsky

Deacon Rev. Mr. Francis Ostrowsky

 

Ester Buot and the Notre Dame Choir, 

Lolette Lorenzen and the Altar Servers,

The Ushers  and the rest of  the Notre   Dame  Community, 

Mr. Luke Manalo 

Mr. Angelo Tolentino

Pastor Reggie Dancel and the rest of our friends at the First Filipino American United Methodist Church 

And all of you 

  who in one way or another   had rendered  generous services and prayers for Julie.

( APPLAUSE)

 

 It is impossible for me to mention all   your  names, at this moment, and I  apologize.

___________________________________

After  the internment,  the family would like to invite you for a fellowship at the Lucky Village Restaurant  at  10755 N. Westheimer Rd. (Coming from Dairy Ashford  towards the Beltway,It is Just after Wilcrest, but before the Beltway, on the Right hand side)

Thank  you so much.


The Eight (8)  IMPORTANT LESSONS I   LEARNED FROM  MY WIFE, JULIE

1. You  can save a lot of  money if your wife knows how to cut your hair. You can have a haircut  even at the middle of the night. You save time and gas in driving to the barber shop.

2. You save lawyer's consultation fees  and services if your wife is an attorney.

3. What you want to do may not be right, so don't   jump the gun. Analyze it first, evaluate the pros and cons,  sleep over it, before you make a  definite decision.

4. You have to forgive the person  who   hurts you but you  are not required to restore your relationship nor required to forget what  he has done to you. Restoring relationship and forgetting what was done to you, is all up to you.

5.  Be true to your word, otherwise don't say  it.

6. If you are going to do something, do it well, otherwise don't do it at all.

7. You choose how you live your life. Be in control, or somebody or something else will control you.

8. She taught me what real love is. And that is : Give yourself completely  for  the person you love, without  expecting anything in return.

Those my friends are important lessons  I have learned from Julie, and these became part of the legacy that she left behind for the people she loves and the people who love her. We don't have time for me to discuss each of these lessons in detail, but if you  like,  talk to me later, THANK YOU.

 Eulogy by Jimmy Viray, editor, Manila Headline:

A poet once wrote:"I have many more miles to go before I sleep." I believe this line applies to all of us, except at this particular time our dear friend ran out of time. But Juliet Ringer Awitan, a generous community leader and friend, did no leave us in vain. She left a legacy of love for our community, her friends and colleagues in the legal profession. This legacy is framed by her love for her family - her husband, Dr. Ariston Awitan Jr., and children, Amy Jennifer Ringer, Joel Benjamin Ringer and John David Ringer and granddaughter, Madeleine Juliette Ringer. It goes with her profession as a lawyer that she loved to write.
  It may not be about why she had pursued the legal profession that encouraged her to write a column entitled "Can we Talk?" in the fortnightly community newspaper The Manila Headline, but her column  clearly was a vessel of ideas that were both informative and entertaining. One distinct trait, if not talent, of Juliet was she was never a pursuer of credit. I personally know that she and Dr. Awitan had given a lot of themselves to community projects that needed help. And help they gave without complaining. Whatever her involvement was, her main concern always was the success of the project that she had helped. Whether she got the credit or not was not important to her. She would rather remain anonymous. She won't talk about  her participation whether she had helped an individual who needed medical attention, a community organization or even a church,. She didn't want her intentions to be misunderstood. This reminds me of the sign on President Reagan's desk in the Oval Office that said, "There is no limit to what you can do or how far you can go as long as you don't care who gets the credit." That, to me, personified Juliet as a community leader. Of course, aside from being the founder and president of the Philippine Cultural Foundation, Inc., she was also once upon a time the chairperson 
of FACOST and president of the Filipino American Bar of Texas. She founded the PCFI  and nurtured it as a vehicle for propagation and preservation of Philippine culture and tradition. She headed the foundation until she became bedridden and was forced to turn over its reins to colleague Atty. Gene Duremdes. As chairperson of FACOST, she followed the same style of leadership - just do your best; ignore comments that could only derail her plans. As a lawyer, colleagues observed, Juliet was most generous to a fault. Money was always secondary to her. Whenever she would find a client in need, she would go out of her way go know how she could help mindless whether she would get paid or not. Juliet's death is a "sad day" for all of us. Sadder because she passed away this holiday season. May her soul rest in peace.

Eulogy by Gene Duremdes

Juliet Ringer Awitan, fondly called Julie to friends and associates, companera o colleagues in the legal profession, Sister Julie in the Couples for Christ Minisry and Ninangf Julie in my way of life, was a dedicated and sincere servant be as a law practitioner, a religious and community advocate.
  I first came to know her when I joined the Fil-Am Bar Association of Texas of which she was president at the time. From then on our dealings became closer. I succeeded her as president of the association. She always had good ideas about  improving the legal profession. Unknown to each other, Ninang Juliet and Doc Aris became our co-participants in the Christian Life Program of Couples for Christ and after graduation, we had weekly household meetings that cemented our legal and religious activities. 
   Ninang Juliet has a love and passion for community service. She founded the Philippine Cultural Foundation, Inc.  with the mission and vision of preserving the cultural heritage of Filipinos in this part of the continent, inculcate in the main stream of Fil-Americans who arrived in this country while young and those born here to know their roots. 
   She had a vivid vision  of nurturing this Filipino tradition and has become her obsession and mission to fulfill. While bedridden, she called me  and talked to me about taking over the helm of PCFI. Knowing her physical condition and commitment t her mission, without hesitation, I said "Yes, ninang". A meeting of all incorporators was arranged. We met at her bedside and I was elected president of PCFI. Ninang Juliet, I will try to live up to your expectations - with help of the incorporators.

Doc, I'm so sorry for your loss in the passing of Julie.  She was a great lady. Just think she's now dancing in Heaven. Her pain is over.  She was a lovely person & I, for one, will miss her.

To Jun,
Our deepest sympathy and prayers on the passing of Julie,a great lady,now walking side by side with God.
Prisco and Nilda

Dear Doc,

It was indeed a privilege to have known Julie.  She is so special.  Our loving thoughts and prayers to you and your family.  May Julie rest in peace.

Julie, beloved, this candle is to light your way through your abode in heaven of eternal happiness, May Our Lord Jesus and Blessed Mother Mary take you there safely; Almighty Father I ask this in the name of Jesus, Amen.

I miss my wife Julie mostly for her love and devotion. I appreciate all the services,  prayers  and condolences  that our friends have graciously  and generously given, May god Bless Us All.

To Jun,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand during these difficult time.
Our prayers are with you.God has healed her now and she is in his presence.
With our prayers,
Bart and Mina

Rest in peace it was a pre
Privilege to have known you 



 to have known you

Please accept our deepest condolences may she rest in peace. 
We are praying for the eternal repose of her soul.

May God give your family strength during this time of loss. 

Manong, always remember that we are here for you, so don't hesitate to call us anytime. 

Sincerely, 
Gene and Delia Pallugna
(Houston TX)

Extending our deepest and heartfelt sympathy to you and your family. May Juliet rest in peace and will keep her in our prayers.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the whole family for your loss. We are here for you when you need us. Sis Julie is now with our Creator.

Jennifer, Greg & I are so sorry for your loss.  You are in our thoughts & prayers.  Call me when you have time.

OBITUARY

Juliet Gran Ringer Awitan

December 20, 1938 – December 19, 2013

Forest Park Westheimer Funeral Home and Cemetery

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