Dr. Lorene Olaso Mangubat was born in the Philippines on January 19, 1935, the only child of Ignacia and Rafael Olaso. Her mother was an educator and the first woman president of Zamboanga State College. Her father was a Captain who served in the US Army Forces in the Far East during World War II. As a young girl, Lorene considered majoring in Music because she loved the piano, singing, and dancing. She eventually chose to study Medicine and graduated from the University of Santo Tomas in 1958.
Her husband, the late Romeo Mangubat, was a banker for Prudential Bank. Together they had three children and raised them in the Filipino Catholic tradition. Lorene was part of a generation of working mothers who redefined women’s roles for their time. She retired as company doctor of the Purefoods Corporation, and later moved to the United States to be closer to her children, who had migrated shortly after college and established lives on both coasts.
Family and friends who knew and loved Lorene were all struck by her refined aesthetic and natural sense of design. She could accessorize an outfit and make it distinctively her own. She combined exclusive and everyday objects to create beautiful vignettes in her home. Ordinary plants and flowers would somehow look special after she arranged them. An accomplished cook, her food was delicious, appealingly plated, and often assembled into charming tablescapes. Even the smallest gifts were embellished with her personal flourishes.
To her three children, Ramona Gay, Ana Charisse, and Romeo Rafael, their Mama was a strict but loving parent, one who always encouraged them to meet high standards in their work, their relationships, and their spiritual lives. Their spouses, Shep, Dodj, and Michelle will remember the warmth with which she welcomed them into the family, and her frequent thoughtful gestures. Her grandchildren, Calyl (with wife Erika and children Cherese, Noel, and Peanut), Kara, Ram, Sam, and Mika, will miss a firm but benevolent disciplinarian, who was also a hip and stylish grandma.
Her family and her many friends mourn the loss of a beautiful, strong-willed, and independent woman who lived life on her own terms. Her earthly life came to an end on September 22, 2022, at age 87. They ask you to offer prayers for Lorene as she makes the final journey to join her Creator, and her beloved departed ones.
Messages of fond memories and expressions of sympathy for the Mangubat family can be left online at www.LambertFuneral.com. A memorial service with Mass to celebrate the life of Dr. Lorene Olaso Mangubat will be held, with the date and location to be announced later.
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