Mr. Edward Difuntorum

Edward H. Difuntorum, 87, of Sacramento passed away unexpectedly in the early hours of February 4, 2022. He departed the earth surrounded by loved ones and family. The world lost a beautiful, funny, intelligent, kind and humble soul. Ed was born in Sacramento to Alex Difuntorum and Louise Difuntorum (Odermatt) in 1934.

His father Alex was born in the Philippines, but came to the United States and worked in the fields picking fruit and vegetables for ten years. His mother Louise was born in Switzerland and moved to the U.S. with her family and lived on farms in the bay and Sacramento areas. Louise convinced Alex to go to barber school, which he did and had a shop in Vallejo for years. Alex and Louise had to get married in the state of Washington since it was illegal for them to marry in California at that time. Their relationship was a true love story and Ed was extremely proud of his heritage.

Growing up in Vallejo, Ed played basketball with the Val Phi (Vallejo Filipinos) against other Filipino teams in the bay and Sacramento areas. He enjoyed going out with friends to dances and to San Francisco to listen to jazz at the Forbidden City. His love for music continued throughout his life and he often shared his favorite music with his loved ones.

Ed joined the Air Force after high school, staying 26 years. His ex-wife Carmen Difuntorum gave birth to his four children Alex, Ron, Andrew and Regina during his time in the service. He retired, then worked at McClellan Air Force Base as a mechanic and supervisor. He was great at what he did. Numerous times, he would be needed to fix something someone else screwed up. He was organized and meticulous in what he did. He retired permanently from the workforce when they closed the base.

Family and friends benefited from his wisdom, humor, witty remarks and generosity. Ed had a fantastic memory, told stories about his travels, life's lessons he learned and would speak about the friends he met throughout his life. While working at McClellan AFB, he was able to travel to England to work and enjoyed seeing the country. He traveled to Europe with his partner Elly many times, visiting museums, meeting new people and enjoying the sights. Ed was an excellent cook and loved cooking for family and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Alex and Louise, his sisters, Norma and Arleen, and Son Andrew.

Ed is survived by the extended family of his longtime partner Eloise Holdahl, his brother Albert “Tinker” Difuntorum, his children Ron Difuntorum, Regina Finuliar and Alex Difuntorum as well as his many grandchildren.

Ed's philosophy was, “treat people right and they'll treat you right”. Ed will be missed by everyone who had the luck of crossing paths with him.

Ed Difuntorum’s Memorial will take place on Saturday, March 12, 2:00 PM at the Mount Vernon Memorial Park and Mortuary. Reception to follow; please contact family for details.