Deogracias S. Datu was a modest man, quiet and observant in his ways. He was trustworthy and traditional in his approach to his life and in his relationships. He was tough-minded with the kind of “stick to it” attitude that earned the respect of all who knew him. He was also a man who was meticulous, carefully disciplined, and orderly in virtually everything he undertook. Realistic about life, he was always at the ready, prepared to take on responsibility.
Deogracias was born on July 2, 1932 in Mabalacat, Pampanga, Philippines. His parents were Salvador and Concordia Datu. Deogracias was raised in Mabalacat, Pampanga, Philippines. He was brought up to be self-confident and dependable. These were traits that would serve him well throughout his life.
Growing up in the Datu household was a bit different than most homes. There were good times to be had, but just as often there was a fair share of challenges as well. However, Deogracias was able to work through the usual family problems when they appeared, and he was the one person in the family who seemed able to keep the stress at bay. Deogracias was raised with ten siblings. He had five brothers Edmundo, Henry, Emmanuel, Jesus, and Maurino, and five sisters Loretta, Mariett, Cita, Esperanza, and Jarmila. Deogracias was constantly involved in activities with his brothers and sisters. Deogracias and his siblings may have had the typical rivalries while growing up but Deogracias was always consistently loyal to his family.
As a young child, Deogracias was never someone who needed to be the center of attention. He wasn’t pushy and never forced his way into games or other activities. Deogracias developed a variety of interests, though, and the things he enjoyed doing he did well. He was always curious about the world around him and was often eager to explore it. Deogracias took part in basketball. However, what Deogracias enjoyed most was simply playing and spending time with his many friends.
While his teachers and even his friends generally thought of Deogracias as being a serious person, he managed to have a pretty good time in high school as he made that critical transition from adolescence to adulthood. He graduated from Holy Angel Academy in 1949. He enjoyed some courses more than others, having favorite classes and teachers. Deogracias was a very logical person who enjoyed learning about factual information. Using his exceptional memory, he was able to learn much through observation. Deogracias always seemed to have a command of the facts and was able to make it seem as though he could easily master any problem that might be presented to him.
College life brought with it a new set of challenges, but Deogracias handled them well. Being a critical thinker who always remained intellectually independent, Deogracias was able to focus on the task at hand in order to complete his class work. He seemed to thrive on college reading assignments, something that often bogged down his classmates. Deogracias was able to read the material and retain the information in a way that impressed his fellow classmates. The ability to efficiently complete the task at hand was a skill that served Deogracias well during his college experience. He earned his B.S. in accounting from Far Eastern University. He also pursued graduate school in 1955.
On May 1, 1965 Deogracias exchanged wedding vows with Corazon Castillo at the Our Lady of Loreto Church of Manila, Philippines. Compassionate and devoted to Corazon, Deogracias held endearing, traditional values about marriage and family life. He took the responsibility of marriage to heart, giving it his total commitment. He was a source of strength to Corazon and using his gifts at nurturing one-on-one relationships, he worked hard to make his new family happy.
Deogracias brought the same traditional values in his marriage to bear on how he raised his children. He was a good parent to them, always firm yet fair in his dealings. He would always listen carefully and think things through before he acted, even when it was an adverse situation. Deogracias was also a walking schedule, always seeming to know what everyone in the family needed to do, where they needed to be and when they needed to be there. Deogracias was blessed with two children, Noel and Anisia. They were also blessed with three grandchildren, Nadeline Joanne, Joseph Nevin, and Uriel Matthew.
Deogracias greatly enjoyed what he did for a living. He was a hard worker who expected the same in return from his co-workers. He was skilled at working effectively in small groups and in one-on-one situations as well as handling solo assignments efficiently. Deogracias enjoyed dealing with concrete ideas and could penetrate any amount of fuzzy information to reach the essential facts. Always able to attend to the task at hand, Deogracias was excellent at meeting deadlines. He was an efficient worker, one who paid careful attention to detail, allowing sufficient time to complete one task before moving on to the next. His primary occupation was comptroller. He was employed for 30 years with Dizon Copper-Silver Mines. Deogracias worked hard to be a team player, doing what was necessary in order to get the job done.
Deogracias liked to experience things first-hand as well as learn about them. This trait carried over into his hobbies, where he was very methodical in how he organized his activities and categorized things. Since he enjoyed his private time, Deogracias always tried to allocate a specific time for working on his hobbies. His favorite pursuits were watching sports on television and doing crossword puzzles. Deogracias was content to enjoy his hobbies alone but was also willing to share his interests with others.
Deogracias found pleasure in sports. Being a person who was comfortable making win/lose decisions throughout life, he could appreciate that athletes made those types of decisions in sports. He applauded those who won, and he enjoyed the statistical data and sports facts and could find himself wrapped up in those details. In high school, Deogracias played basketball. He would watch his favorite sporting events whenever he got the opportunity. Tops on his list were basketball and boxing.
Deogracias was a man who was dedicated and devoted to his faith. He was a devout Catholic. He was a sympathetic man who valued his beliefs and was willing to work tirelessly for them.
Deogracias S. Datu passed away on January 6, 2013 at Regional Medical Center in San Jose, California due to congestive heart failure. He is survived by his wife Corazon, his children Noel and Anisia, his daughter-in-law Janet, his son-in-law Rey, and his grandchildren Nadeline, Joseph, and Matthew. Services were held at Oak Hill Funeral Home & Memorial Park in San Jose, California. Deogracias was laid to rest in Oak Hill Memorial Park in San Jose, California.
Commitment is a key word that can be used to describe the life of Deogracias S. Datu. He was committed to living the life of a good man who was both practical and trustworthy. He was committed to the traditional values that he upheld his entire life. He committed himself to being a hard worker who expected the same effort in return from those around him. Most of all, he was committed to those he knew and loved.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.9.5