Marnie "M.G." Garcia Cordero

He was preceded in death by his father, Eusebio Cordero, and mother, Maxima Cordero.

He is survived by his wife, Saloma Cordero, daughter, Melissa Hughes and Leah Smith, relatives, and many friends...

Marnie "M.G." will be deeply missed...

A visitation will be held on Monday, June 7, 2010 from 4-8 pm with a rosary at 7 pm at Eternal Hills Memorial Chapel in Oceanside, California.

A funeral mass will be held on Tuesday, June 8, 2010 at 1:00 pm at Mission San Luis Rey in Oceanside, California.

Mr. Cordero's final resting place will be Mission San Luis Rey Cemetery in Oceanside, California.

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Eulogy Given In Loving Memory of

Marnie Garcia “M.G.” Cordero

April 30, 1936- June 2, 2010

When I was a little girl, my mother would say, regarding my habits and personality, “You are just like your father.” I often felt obliged to respond defensively. After all, I’m a girl, I thought. Why would I ever want to be like “a father”? Shouldn’t daughters want to be like their mothers? I didn’t understand her point. Now as an adult, I affectionately recount her comments, and can say that there is no one I would rather emulate more than my father.

My father loved our family more than he could ever verbally express. He was always self-conscience of how his words may be interpreted by others, and found it easier to show love rather than tell love. Trying to understand his true intentions often drove me, my sister, and certainly my mother, nuts, but also put me in my place. I remember for my wedding I had specifically chosen a contemporary pop song for our father-daughter dance. I didn’t bother to tell him what it was, and I suppose I was arrogant enough to think it didn’t matter – since I was doing all the planning. Well, once the DJ called for the dance, I heard the beginning of the Blue Danube Waltz, and thought, “He changed the song! I’m going to be dragged in circles all night!” For two, long minutes I was angry. And then for the remaining eight, long minutes, I just accepted that this was his way of saying, “This is my last dance with you, my daughter, and I love you.”

The Navy’s core values are honor, courage and commitment. These values were at the heart of our father’s life. My father never complicated family commitments. If something needed to get done around the house, it was done, no matter what. In the face of today’s cultures and opinions, I will always admire my father for the difficult steps he took to make his ideal family life “work”…for setting out to become a naturalized citizen. I admire him for taking chances with building two small businesses from scratch. I thank him for sacrificing his own needs to put his daughters through Catholic school, and college…and for quite simply: being around as a father. He committed to walk a line of faith, always trusting God in good times and bad. God blessed him with so many opportunities on Earth, none of which he ever took for granted. As he was nearing the end, he calmly told my mother, “I have things to do.” I think my dad was already thinking about was how he was going to pay the Lord back for giving him such an abundant life.

Then there was the lighter side of my dad. I will remember him best as an obsessed historian of the family – photographing and videotaping nearly every special occasion or outing we did. There was not a Christmas that went by when I didn’t feel like I was part of a movie set. This past January, for our mother’s birthday, was probably the last time he ever chose to record us. As our family and his grandkids grumbled to the dinner table to pose, our dad proceeded with a lengthy narration of the occasion. It was only when he finally concluded, that he realized the camera’s microphone had been switched off the entire time. Perhaps, God was telling him, “Forget any second “takes”, and just enjoy the moment for what it is. You may remember it better that way.”

My father never truly “retired.” He kept himself busy, physically. I don’t know of too many men in their seventies who can build a wooden shed completely by hand, or pour hundreds of square feet of concrete, all unassisted. But he did. Rarely, was there a night when he wasn’t up all night on his computer - learning more tech tricks, creating heartfelt home movies of his grandkids, or reading through a joke-of-the-day. I like to think that we were kindred spirits, since we were always better talking to each other through emails.

So, Dad, as I know you are listening…I hope you’re learning lots more corny jokes, because I’d sure like to hear them. And please…don’t go concreting all of Heaven, without asking God’s permission yet.

On behalf of my mother and sister, I deeply thank you for remembering a devoted husband, father, countryman, and most importantly, a servant of God.

With love from your daughter,

Melissa

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"My life has many stories which begins on my birthday that I cannot remember, and will end in the future which I do not know." This quote comes from many autobiographical attempts by our loving husband and father, Marnie "M.G" Cordero. Originally with the given name, "Mariano," he was born April 30, 1936 to Maxima and Eusebio Cordero in Bacolod City, on the Philippine island of Negros Occidental. For those who don't know him, the story of his life might read like a rags-to-riches Hollywood movie. This may just as well be appropriate, considering his love for movie entertainment and its heroes. However, his story is much more. His life was one of great determination to succeed, loyalty to God and country, and an immense love and devotion for his family.

Among the many delightful childhood stories, he told of fishing crystal blue sandy beaches, and climbing bountiful coconut trees. However, there were other stories of pain and heartache. Early in his childhood, Marnie's mother died. Soon afterward, Marnie's father remarried. Marnie went to live with an older sister in Bacolod City where he finished high school. Like many other Filipinos in the 1950s, Marnie chose to join the U.S. Navy as a stepping stone towards a happier life. In 1958, he left the Philippines in pursue of the elusive American Dream.

Marnie took pride in his commitment to the Navy and military philosophy. He appreciated the camaraderie and teamwork. He appreciated this new "brotherhood" which never truly existed back home. Marnie discovered skills and talents that would ultimately shape his professional career for decades to come. His first stop was the USNTC (U.S. Naval Training Center) in San Diego for recruit training. Upon leaving the USNTC in San Diego, he served as a steward at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD and later to Admiral Rickover, "father of the nuclear submarines" where he tended to the needs of the military officers. He was respected by the admiral very much, who encouraged him to pursue a career as an electricians mate. Marnie took his advice and subsequently applied for schooling at the U.S. Naval Submarine School in New London, CT. Once he completed his training, his first assignment was on the U.S.S. Skate (SSN-578), a nuclear submarine that surfaced the North Pole, in 1962. He did three years on the U.S.S. Skate, and was later assigned to the U.S.S. Sailfish (SS-572) for a short time.

Leaving New London, CT in November 1965, he was assigned to Class-B EM School SSC, Great Lakes, IL. He remained there until May 20, 1966. The next assignment in 1966 was the U.S.S. Coral Sea (CVA-43) stationed in Alameda, CA. The ship has been deployed on WestPac. Upon returning from WestPac, Marnie met his future wife, Saloma Guesnon at Jack London Square in Oakland. As the story goes, Saloma was on a reluctant night out with a girl friend. After unexpectedly striking up a conversation with Marnie, she heard a small indiscernible voice tell her that "he was the one." It was less than a month later when the two of them took a real leap of faith, announcing their engagement to marry. True to a Hollywood movie, the couple quickly planned a wedding just as news came of Marnie's next assignment and deployment. Marnie and Saloma Cordero were married on June 24, 1967 at St. Paschal's Catholic Church in Oakland, CA. A month later he returned to sea on a WesPac deployment that lasted for nine months.

As the saying goes, "absence makes the heart grow fonder," this was true for the newlyweds. Marnie returned from the Coral Sea elated to see his new bride. The two made immediate plans for Marnie's next military stop - Class B IC School SSC, Great Lakes, IL. So they packed up and traveled cross-country in Marnie's newly purchased 1966 Mustang, enjoying the sights along the way. By the end of 1968, the Corderos had finally spent their first Christmas together. Marnie graduated from Class B training in March 1969. In May, he was sent to the U.S.S. Hector (AR-7), a repair ship, in Long Beach, CA. His tour on the Hector provided him with first teaching opportunities, as he needed to train Vietnamese sailors how to repair major electronics equipment. This was especially challenging since neither party knew each other's language. Meanwhile, his wife joined him in Sasebo, Japan.

Returning to the states in 1971, he was assigned to the U.S.S. Flint (AE-32), which was being built in Pascagoula, MS. Since he had recently reenlisted, he requested and was approved to attend Palomar College in San Marcos, CA to obtain an Associate Degree in Electronic Engineering, which he received in 1974. During his assignment at Palomar College, the couple welcomed their first daughter, Melissa. Less than two years later, they were blessed with a second daughter, Leah. During this time, the family enjoyed the rare breaks of military training by traveling, camping, and vacationing throughout the West Coast. Completing Palomar College in 1974, he became an instructor at SSC, NTC San Diego, CA. He remained there until March of 1977. Returning to sea duty, he was then assigned to the U.S.S. Thomaston (LSD-28) docked in Seattle, WA. Shortly thereafter, Marnie achieved a great honor by reaching the rank of Chief Petty Officer (EMC). He ended a long and active military career and retired on Dec 28, 1977.

Marnie's naval expertise as a naval electronics repairman opened many doors after his retirement. He taught electronics ROP (Regional Occupational Program) at a local high school in Oceanside. He earned a ham radio operator license, and took this up as a hobby. Long before hand-held video cameras, Marnie started his own videotaping business, and was a member of the Vista Chamber of Commerce. In later years, Marnie was very involved in religious duties. He became part of the Knights of Columbus while a parishioner at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Vista, and frequently volunteered as an usher there. Work and volunteerism was combined with other loves, including gardening, and cultivating his favorites: roses.

As his daughters grew, and the "empty nest" expanded, Marnie became a proud father-in-law. He was always ready to accept his greater role to be a doting grandfather to his grandchildren, Kira and Lucas. During the final years of his life, Marnie enjoyed visiting with his grandkids, extended family and friends, and traveling - in something a little larger than a Mustang - his RV, the "U.S.S. Pleasure Way" across the great United States with his loving, and extremely patient wife.

Found in Marnie's diary, were many notes and reflections over the years. He wrote, "Funerals are never joyous occasions, but they can tell us more about life than is first apparent. For instance, if the deceased is young, we are taught of the brevity of life. Sudden death confronts us with the realization that life is more fragile than an eight-ounce glass. There may not be any more suffering in the world than in times past, but our awareness of the magnitude of suffering is amplified when one lives long enough to look back what was in the past. In reality, no one is free of some type of suffering and no one will get through this life without suffering and even tragedy."

We know from the Bible, that suffering builds character. We will mourn your passing only temporarily, yet celebrate your long life for what is was: a life full of great character and perseverance.