Romulo F. Damaso

Romulo F. Damaso, age 77, of Henderson, Nevada passed away on Sunday, April 10, 2022. Known as “Roming” to family and “Rom” to his friends, He was born November 22, 1944 to his parents Alejandro Damaso and Consolacion Alejandro in Laog, Ilocos Norte in the Republic of the Philippines. Rom arrived in Maui aboard the Marine Falcon with his mother in 1946 to join his father who immigrated to Maui first to work in the plantation. Upon arriving in Maui, the family settled in Sprecklesville, Lower Camp Three. From there the Damaso family grew from three to six with the births of his siblings: Theodore (Ted), Josephine (Sepin), and Edward (Eddie). He attended Kaunoa for elementary and then St. Anthony School, where Rom graduated in 1962.

After high school, Rom worked in Moloka`i on the pineapple plantation during the summer months when he overheard someone talking about going to Trade School to learn sheet metal and welding because that was the road to becoming a “Journeyman”. He followed the advice and received his certifications in two years.

Though he enjoyed his sheet metal and welding job, the Vietnam War was also taking place. So, Rom decided to enlist in the U.S. Air Force. During Basic Training, he told the interviewer that he wanted to work in the field of electricity/electronics in which he was assigned to Ground Radio Repair. He served one, 13 month tour in Vietnam, and was honorably discharged in 1968.

Rom met the love of his life, Dolores, during the last few months of his military service. They married in 1971 and four years later, their daughter, Romi, was born. During this time, he acquired his Associates Degree from El Camino College and pursued an Engineering degree at CSULB. Due to hardship, he had to make a decision to support his new family instead finishing his last year. It was a moment he never regretted as he figured his knowledge and experience would speak for itself versus a piece of paper.

His career took him from Hughes Aircraft to Pan Am and then eventually to the City of Los Angeles, Department of Water and Power. He retired after 31 years of service with L.A. DWP in 2012.

During his working career, Rom also took great interest in business. He constantly had projects he worked on outside of his “9-5” or on some occasions, “3-11”. On top of doing the “Honey-Do” lists at home, he also started Damaso Services; servicing anything that had a circuit board/motherboard or was powered by any form of energy. Rom eventually started building computers during the 1980ʻs when it was unheard of having a personal computer at home, let alone a roomful. He had a good reputation of acquiring items, repairing and building anything. His work ethic gained him a respectable reputation and, through word of mouth, more people would refer services to him, leading to friendships that would span his lifetime.

His hobbies including bowling, tinkering to make/fix things, building computers, real estate and the stock market. As mentioned before, he always had a project going and was constantly thinking of how and what he could make. He was quite the computer builder until it became more feasible to buy a computer. Rom was also an avid real estate guru. He could see value in a piece of land that appeared worthless, but was very forward thinking to invest now and reap the rewards later. The same mindset could be said about his savviness for the stock market.

Rom enjoyed life while he worked; but more so as a retiree. Upon retirement, Rom went back to school to get his HVAC and Welding Certification at the College of Southern Nevada. He never stopped wanting to learn, especially the Trades. He also decided to live it up during his retirement with his wife. Though Rom and his family traveled the world extensively before his retirement. He decided to go on two Pacific Rim tours to see the world again, this time in the luxury of a cruise ship.

Rom lived and built a wonderful, happy life for his family. His family was everything to him and he loved spending time with them, "talking story", and providing a loving home with space for everyone to gather in. Rom's stories and laughter will live forever in our hearts. His legacy will live on in his family and everyone who crossed his path.

The Damaso and Rice Families would like to thank everyone who made his life full and joyous.

Mahalo

A visitation for Romulo will be held Friday, April 29, 2022 from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM at Palm Boulder Highway Mortuary, 800 South Boulder Highway, Henderson, NV 89015, followed by a funeral service with military honors beginning at 1:00 PM. Romulo will be laid to rest privately at the Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Boulder City, Nevada 89005.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.palmboulderhighway.com for the Damaso family.