Ruben Soriano Bernardo

RUBEN SORIANO BERNARDO -- Our Beloved Ruben Bernardo (1945 - 2020) was born in Cabanatuan City, Philippines on August 13, 1945. His mother- Maria Soriano Bernardo was a Business Owner of an Employment Agency & his father- Celestino Cruz Bernardo was a Merchant Business Owner of a Grocery store in Cabanatuan City. Ruben has 8 siblings- Reynaldo, Rodolfo, Rolando, Alfredo, Ramon, Norberto, Rosendo, & Elsie. He graduated from Mapua University in Manila with a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineer degree. While living in Cabanatuan City, he eventually married his neighbor, Estrelita Cortez Bernardo - an Elementary School Teacher in Nueva Ecija. Ruben and his wife had always dreamt of the opportunity to move to the United States of America after they graduate from college. So on October 1st, 1976, they eventually immigrated to the United States in Cleveland, OH to reunite with his 1st cousin Melodia Bernardo Ingusan & his brother Rodolfo Soriano Bernardo. They arrived with $100 in their pocket, 2 hand carried suitcases. In the meantime, they lived with his brother Rodolfo Soriano Bernardo in Cleveland, OH. After hard work & diligence, they bought their first vehicle which was a 1975 orange Chevrolet Vega & eventually saved up enough money to buy their first home. Him and his wife worked extremely hard to immigrate the rest of their 3 children (Roumel, Bernard, & Catherine) awaiting for them in the Philippines. At the same time, they just had a brand new baby - Joyce, born in Cleveland, OH in 1980. This was the start of the family that they longed to reunite. They eventually raised all 4 children together - Roumel, Bernard, Catherine, and Joyce in 1981. He also has 1 grandchild- Lindsey Tran, daughter of his son Bernard Bernardo. Ruben devoted his time to several organizations helping the Filipino community grow. He was an Active member of PASO, Philippine American Ministry, Couples for Christ, Santa Cruzan, & many prayer groups. He retired as a Plant Supervisor for McGean-Rohco, a Chemical Technology company for Aviation in Cleveland, OH. He celebrated his retirement by building a brand new home in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ruben truly enjoyed being around family and friends. He was a quiet, soft spoken, humble, reserved, but has a very good sense of humor. People gravitated around his presence when he walked in the room because of his captivating smile. He was very adventurous & loves to go on Road trips to visit family throughout Michigan, Texas, Nevada, California, & Canada. He loved his beach escapes to Florida & going to National parks like the Grand Canyon, Mount Zion, Bryce Canyon, Red Rock, etc. He even flew all over Europe to visit his brother- Alfredo in Germany, his daughter -Catherine in London, England, and take the family to Paris, France & Belgium. Ruben also enjoyed many other hobbies such as fishing, bowling, playing mahjong, going sightseeing, taking pictures of nature, & playing with all his Grand dogs - Precious, Caesar, Angel, Lucky, Chelsea, Coco, Brownie, Lola, Jojo, and Max. Ruben was an inspiration to so many people because he was always willing to lend a helping hand to so many people & never asking for much in return. He helped many of his family members immigrate to America. He wanted everyone to have that opportunity to achieve & reach their goals in life. He has never forgotten the very little resources he had to work with ($100) & his children waiting for him, when he first arrived in the US. This was what kept him motivated. He is a man that was very thoughtful, driven, & was also a protector of his family. Ruben never wanted anyone to be alone to deal with hard problems & people often felt at ease confiding in him. He represented HUMILITY & STRENGTH. He provided a sense of safety net & security for his family & friends. He was selfless...He lived to be 74 years old. He lived his life to the fullest even til the end. He spent his last few months going to Palms casino to watch the horse races & taking his family to buffets before the COVID Pandemic hit. His journey with God & all the Angels in Heaven has just begun. He is now Our Guardian Angel protecting over everyone he loves. May his memories of HUMILITY & STRENGTH continue to Inspire others..