Priscilla Racho Atuel

“Well done, good and faithful servant….Enter into the joy of your Lord”.

Priscilla (Prising/Pris/Prescy) R. Atuel was born January 21, 1941 to Cirilo and Aurelia Racho (both deceased) in Murong, Nueva Vizcaya. She was predeceased by her 5 older siblings (Minerva, Adolfo, Nieves, Claro) and 1 younger sibling (Geronima). As her family were founding members of the Murong United Methodist Church, Prising grew up and came to the Christian faith early on.

Gifted with intelligence, she excelled academically, graduating valedictorian of her elementary and high school class. Her family encouraged her to become a medical doctor, but she had other plans. Her deepened Christian faith made her aspire to become a deaconess, serving the church as a Christian educator to children and youth.

Harris Memorial College

Too young to enter Harris Memorial College (Harris) to begin her deaconess education, she matriculated at nearby Philippine Christian College (now Philippine Christian University). After completing her freshman year, she embarked on a lifelong relationship with Harris. Her years at Harris molded her into the woman she would become as a Christian educator as well as an advocate for women’s rights in and outside of the church. It was also at Harris where she formed lifelong friendships with women whom she has stayed in touch with through the years.

College Professor

During her senior year at Harris, Ms. Racho was assigned as a student deaconess to the Sangandaan United Methodist Church where she met an architectural student who was a member of the choir, Herman (Jerry) Atuel. What followed was a short courtship and an 8-year engagement. During the 8-year engagement, Prescy and Jerry planned their future careers around building a future family. For Prescy, that meant pursuing masteral and doctoral education at De La Salle University and Philippine Women’s University, graduating summa cum laude, in preparation for an academic career around a future family life. On December 19, 1967, Prescy and Jerry were married at Central United Methodist Church.

Mrs. Prescy Atuel joined the faculty of Harris and was tapped to be the next college president by (then-president) Dr. Prudencia Fabro, which came with the opportunity to complete her PhD at the University of Michigan. She declined the offer in order to tend to a growing family with the addition of her daughters (Hazel and Hope) and son (Harlan). Yet, Mrs. Atuel maintained strong ties to Harris. To her, Harris was hollowed ground, and over the course of her lifetime, she served as President of the Harris Board of Trustees.

In addition to Harris, Mrs. Atuel was invited to join the faculty ranks of several universities including De La Salle University, Philippine Women’s University and Philippine Christian University. She was also a member of the Psychological Association of the Philippines. In all, she was a college professor for 19 years before embarking on the next and final chapter of her career.

A graveside service for Priscilla will be held Friday, December 29, 2023 from 2:30 PM to 3:00 PM at El Camino Memorial Park, 5600 Carroll Canyon Rd, San Diego, CA 92121.