When Mely Ng Sang Howard walked into the room, those in her company felt energy, an enthusiastic spontaneity. This was just one example of who Matilde was and how she impacted those around her. Matilde was a clever and gregarious person who always sought out the finest attributes in other people. It was as if Matilde wanted to share all of their experiences, revel in their lives and celebrate their discoveries. Matilde was tireless and had boundless enthusiasm that would serve her well throughout her life.
Matilde was born on June 4, 1926 at Home by a midwife, Western Visaya in Santa Barbara, Philippines. She was the daughter of Estanislao and Maxima Sobrevega. Matilde was raised in Western Visayas, Philippines. Always at the ready with a good joke, she grew up to be quite a humorous person. While some who knew Matilde might describe her as an idealist, her friends and family understood well that Matilde was always in pursuit of life’s endless possibilities and opportunities available to her.
With a talent for making acquaintances easily which in turn brought her an endless stream of friends, Matilde was very sociable and could blend without effort into any social group. Assertive and outgoing, Matilde was easy to know and demonstrated a deep concern for others. She always seemed aware of what was going on with people around her and throughout her life she made many, many friends. Later in life, she became friends with Salustia Ordonez, Chona Gamble.
On March 21, 2002 Matilde married Charles Howard at Sacred Heart Parish Church of Lancaster, CA 93535. Matilde's skill at “building bridges” played an important role in her ability to make her new family happy. She was quite sensitive towards Charles's needs, showing her constant concern and fondness. Matilde was tenderhearted and sensitive, qualities that served her well in helping to nurture her family.
Matilde was a natural and creative parent who was willing to provide her family with all sorts of new and interesting experiences. For Matilde, parenting was a particularly enjoyable and pleasurable part of her life. Every activity, from chores to bedtime routines, became a game in the Howard home. Matilde's skill at understanding her children's feelings, her sensitivity to their needs, and her gift for gentle persuasion enabled her to find novel solutions to any problem or situation that might crop up. Matilde was blessed with Ten children: 6 sons, Leonardo, Joselito, Butch, Leandro Reynaldo Eduardo and 4 daughters, Carmen, Leonida, Bella and Susan. They were also blessed with 24 grandchildren, Almah, JL, Jo, Jamie, Jemily, Jeric, JayV, Charmy, Sherwin, Dennis,Patrick, Ching, Dave,Jay-R,Michelle,Reyan,Mia,Mat,KC,Kidd,DJ,Bernard, Ben Jr.
Because Matilde loved to have a broad variety of activities in her life, she took advantage of the opportunity to pursue numerous hobbies. Her favorite pursuits were Sewing, Bingo. Matilde had a knack for being able to multi-task in order to create time for all of her favorite pastimes. However, Matilde's ever-present concern for others always took precedent.
Because Matilde was constantly in the center of things and where the action was, she always seemed willing to join in and help, regularly getting involved in community activities. Matilde's gift of planning and improvisation, along with a talent for rallying support, made her a great asset. Matilde found new ways of getting things done in order to help make just about every activity more efficient and enjoyable. Matilde was an active member of several community groups, serving on committees for the Filipino Community, Buklod ng Pagkakaisa. Politically, Matilde was a Republican.
Matilde was a woman who was dedicated and devoted to her faith. She was a member of Sacred Heart Parish Church. During that time, she was active church member. She was sympathetic and able to empathize with others and she used these qualities to the fullest while working tirelessly for her beliefs.
Though she never did anything solely for individual recognition, Matilde's ingenuity, resourcefulness, and selflessness, earned her accolades for her many lifelong efforts. Some of her most prestigious awards included active commendation as volunteer Antelope Valley Senior Center, recognition for service to Buklod ng Pagkakaisa,.
Matilde's love of improvising in her daily life was a perfect fit for her enjoyment of traveling. Her favorite vacations were ones that were not planned. Traveling in a casual manor fit her personality well. Excited about seeing changing scenery and constantly looking for the enjoyment life could offer, Matilde took her vacations seriously, well, as seriously as she possibly could. Favorite vacations included a trip to Disneyland Japan, Disneyland Florida, 21 mission, coast to coast trip with family.
There was always a certain style and inventiveness to Matilde. She was a dynamic, self-expressive person who was forever looking to celebrate the endless possibilities life had to offer. She had a knack for being clever, creative and witty, and for others, was a joy to be around. While she was often fiercely independent, it seemed as if many others looked to Matilde Howard for inspiration, leadership, wisdom and even courage. Matilde was always more than willing to share life’s experiences with her loved ones.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.9.5