Claretta Dacanay Sangco

Claretta’s early education was in Baguio City. She graduated high school from the Holy Family Academy. Claretta then went to St. Louis University at Baquio and got her B.S. in Biology. She would eventually go on further to graduate from Mt. Carmel College of Nursing at Bulacan with a B.S. in Nursing. She was diligent in school and her academic record was excellent.

Despite being close with her father, she was able to persuade her parents to send her and her younger sister Amelita to go to the United States in 1984. While in Los Angeles, she met Rueben Sangco and they married in 1992.

Claretta was a woman all about family: she was close with her nieces and nephews, teaching them to live in faith. She looked after her mother in the United States for some years, and then back in the Philippines as well. She worked for a time at the Post Office, and for a stint as a caregiver. She was driven to help and care for others.

She was constantly enriching herself by reading scripture and health books. She and Rueben eventually moved to Everett, Washington in 2012. One of her dreams was to take in foster kids leading to adoption, so they bought a big house together to make that dream possible. Even though health issues interrupted that dream, she continued to be involved in the strong outreach of Zynergia’s Business Center Seattle and its West Coast Mission Center. She returned to the Philippines to take seminars and training there. Her big heart and generosity meant that she chose to give what would have been the value of a wedding ring as cash to the ministry. She looked after others before herself.

Claretta was a woman of strong Christian faith. When she and Rueben set out on a road trip, she would pray for God’s protection for them by reciting Psalm 91. She had committed the entire Psalm to memory and would recite it in the car. She read widely in scripture and in naturopathic and healing sciences.

She loved to cook and was inventive in coming up with recipes that were wholistic and organic. One of Rueben’s favorite dishes, which Claretta would cook on special occasions, was Lingua Estofado, a beef tongue dish cooked in tomato sauce, which she had learned from her mom.

Claretta was a stylish woman, who somehow managed to look fantastic and fashionable while choosing modest, inexpensive clothing pieces. People were amazed at how beautiful she could look in designs that were not designer luxury brands. She loved music, especially Christian music. She strongly disliked scenes in movies involving any fighting or violence, instead, preferring love stories. For a spell, she and Rueben kept and cared for their pet dog, Kaykay.

She was an extraordinarily loving wife to Rueben. Even when her body weakened, her spirit and soul remained strong. Rueben expressed how much she earned his respect in her preparation for and embrace of death. She was content with what God had given her and embraced that her high calling would be fulfilled in heaven.

She always found time to reach out to friends and family and had a ready smile for everyone. She will be remembered as the woman who was able to touch others in a deep and positive way because of her kind, caring, joyful and generous spirit.

Claretta was preceded in death by her parents and two of her siblings.

She leaves behind the love of her life, Rueben Sangco. She is also survived by three of her siblings and many nieces and nephews, and other relatives.

We will all miss this amazing woman, Claretta. But we will treasure the memory of her deeply in our hearts, forever.