Amparo Pineda Manlapaz, fondly called Ampy, was born on October 30, 1932 in Manila, Philippines to Jose Manlapaz and Felipa Pineda. She was the 3rd of 10 children, which include Jesus, Antonio, Adelina, Josefina, Jun, Ben, Manuel, and Amado.
Early in life, Amparo helped provide for the family given her role as the eldest daughter. She also had many talents that included acting and singing, with a brief career in the Philippine movie industry, taking small acting roles in some Sampaguita movies like Mr. Kasintahan and Malaala Mo Kaya.
Amparo Manlapaz and Benjamin Tambunting were blessed with the birth of their only child, Elizabeth (Lisa) Tambunting on March 25, 1956. Thereafter, Amparo moved to the United States for better opportunities sharing a similar origin story as many immigrant families, and was soon reunited with her daughter, Lisa. She landed in Oxnard, CA and worked hard selling seafood to migrant farmworker communities along the California coast and the Central Valley, which provided the means to help bring her brothers and sisters to the U.S.
She got her GED from a high school in Oxnard, and worked multiple clerical and administrative jobs for World Book with her brother Jun and at a Montessori School in Chicago. She also held cashiering jobs at Pic ‘N’ Save and Big Lots, where we all benefited from her shopping for great deals.
Amparo is survived by her daughter, Lisa and son-in-law, Albert; her granddaughter, Aileen and her husband Adrian; her granddaughter Angela and her partner Debbie; great-grandchildren, Harper Lee and Mabel; brothers and sister, Adelina, Jun, Ben, Manuel, and Amado; and many other loving relatives.
She enjoyed cooking (and we all loved her delicious Filipino cooking and baking, like her famous bibingka), playing a fierce game of mahjong into the late hours of the night, bowling, singing karaoke, dressing up and taking pictures, sneaking sweets and treats to her great-grandchildren, shopping for the best deals and saving everything, going to church and church functions with her community at Our Lady of the Valley, and hanging out with her comadres at A Better Life Community Center. She will be remembered for her great cooking, sense of humor, feisty and spunky disposition, her unwavering strength, and her commitment to her family and community.
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