Feliciana "Fely" Abueg Empeno

Loving wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, Feliciana Abueg Empeno, passed to Eternal Life on December 9, 2015. Her husband of 65 years, Henry Empeno, Sr. was by her side as he had been from dawn to dusk every day since her stroke last February. Their love and devotion for each other is a blessing to all who know them.

“Fely”, as she was known to family and friends, loved to travel, loved to babysit, and, most especially, loved being with family – young and old. She also loved to play cards, either solitaire or against Henry and sometimes with children and grandchildren. She was a fan of every Court TV show on any network and had memorized exactly when each of the shows came on. We think she thought she had a personal connection to Judge Judy, Judge Ross, Judge Joe, Judge Mathis, Judge Marilyn and all of the other Judges on television. In her younger days, Fely was an expert at embroidery and crochet. Some family members are lucky and cherish the pieces she created for them.

Most of her family survived the horrors of WWII that included the occupation of her hometown by the Japanese and the death of her father.

She met the love of her life, Henry, while still in school. He left their town to join the Navy in 1946 and in 1950, she joined him in marriage.

Fely earned her Bachelors degree at the Zambales Academy in the Philippines in 1949. She was a teacher, but after immigrating to the USA, she worked long hours at a laundry and studied at Southwestern College to become a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) and earned her certification as a Psychiatric Technician at Grossmont Adult School in 1983. Feliciana worked many nightshifts at nursing homes around the neighborhood for fifteen years.

Being a young immigrant mother raising three children while her Navy husband was away at sea on long deployments was a challenge during the fifties and early sixties. She had to learn to drive and navigate the ins and outs of American culture. She taught her children the importance of education and was proud of the fact that all three graduated from prestigious universities. She and Henry made it their personal mission to assist many other young Filipino sailors in the US Navy and their families settle into their new lives in the United States, ensuring their transitions would be easier than their own. Their home was frequently the stopping place for Filipino sailors who craved a home-cooked meal, haircuts, and holiday celebrations.

When she finally retired with Henry in the late eighties, they traveled around the world, enjoyed cruises around the Caribbean and the Mediterranean and tours through Europe and Asia. They visited friends and relatives in the Philippines every year and made it a point to attend their annual hometown fiesta. Fely and Henry enjoyed traveling in their RV and fishing in their boat. After they sold their boat, they continued to fish off of local piers.

Feliciana joins her half-brother Delfin Fadera (Mary), half-sister Sister Esperanza Fadera, brother Roman Abueg, and their parents Moises Abueg and Tomasa Tolentino Abueg. Also preceding her in death are half-siblings, Alfredo Abueg and Petra Altares.

She is survived by her husband, Henry; brothers, Cesar (Norma) and Hector (Thelma); sister-in-law, Connie Abueg; children Frank, Henry Jr. and Leilani McHugh (Tim); grandchildren, Henry Benjamin (Joannabelle), Frankie, Caitlin, and Timothy; and great-grandchildren Jonathan, Jemma, Julius, and Junian. She will be missed by them and countless cousins, nieces, nephews, grand-nieces, and grand-nephews.

The family would like to thank the nurses, doctors and staff of Friendship Manor in National City who provided exceptional comfort and care for her during her final months.