Born and raised in Bagumbayan, Taguig City, Philippines, Osmunda (also known as “Inang Munding” by her loved ones) was the second eldest of four sisters. From a young age, she entered the workforce, helping support her siblings' education and beginning a life defined by hard work, determination, and responsibility for those she loved.
Her husband, Amang Rode (Rodolfo), remembers Inang as a quiet young woman, but one with a fierce spirit when provoked—especially when it came to her family. She was protective of those she loved and persistent in what she believed in.
Despite her family's initial protests, Inang Munding went on to share her life with her beloved Amang Rode. As the story goes, their life together began after one date at the movies, and the two eloped in 1955. They later welcomed four children, from eldest to youngest: Orlando, Cristina, Marylou, and Nora.
In 1982, Inang Munding and Amang Rode immigrated from the Philippines to Edmonton. For Inang, however, building a life in Canada was never just about creating a better life for herself.
She was determined to bring her family with her.
This was simply who Inang was. She spent very little on herself and gave what she had to others. She supported family in both Canada and the Philippines, helped with education whenever she could. Even in her 50s, when her work required her to switch to night shifts, she accepted the change and continued working for the people who depended on her.
Beginning with Orlando and his children in 1989, Inang spent the next 17 years working to bring the rest of her loved ones closer. Between 1989 and 2006, she helped more than 10 family members make their way to Canada on separate occasions. One by one, Marylou, her grandchildren, nieces, and nephews arrived, eventually establishing lives and families of their own.
She was equally devoted to Amang Rode. Over nearly 70 years of marriage, they shared tremendous joys and endured profound losses, including the deaths of two of their children— Nora, at only nine years old, and Cristina, at 64—as well as the loss of their parents, siblings, and dear friends. Through it all, they remained side by side.
Inang Munding was predeceased by her beloved daughters, Nora (1970) and Cristina (2021), and is now reunited with them.
She leaves behind her beloved husband, Amang Rode; her children (and their spouses), Orlando (& Elizabeth), Marylou, and her son-in-law Ricardo (the husband of Cristina); her 9 grandchildren, and her 13 great-grandchildren.
Rest peacefully, Inang. You spent a lifetime keeping us together. Now, it is our responsibility to do the same for one another.
