Isabelita "Abel" Adraneda

Peacefully in comfort she surrendered a Life well lived surrounded by family. A devoted spouse of the late Ernesto Roman Adraneda Sr. Cherished mother of Erwina (late Bernardino) Consunji, Ernesto (Vivian) Adraneda Jr, and Elisa (Mark) Macabuag. Proud grandmother of Xianelle, Xiarhina (Jeric), Anna, Xiarissa, Marcus, Alex,Kaleb, Kian, Kialah & Koltan. Treasured great grandmother to Vivienne, Kaiden, Luna, Lyla, & Kira. Predeceased by her siblings Avelina, Jesus, Carlos & beloved twin Luisita "Tessie". Survived by brothers Eduardo (Cely) and Angelino (Juliet) Naval. She will be missed by her in law siblings Josie (late Arthur) Cruz, Mario (Flor) and Narciso (Sionie) Adraneda. Mourned deeply by many nieces, nephews, cousins, extended family & friends in Canada, the Philippines & the USA.

Extending a special thank you to Nani, Tita Lulu, and Mimi. The love, you warmly bestowed upon Mommy & Auntie to the very end of their days, will never be forgotten. So grateful for the support given by Dr Arakel (Eric) Movsesyan & Sylvia; St Joe's Palliative Care Team; Ontario Health at Home Coordinators; the ParaMed PSW team; the Palliative Care Team of Ontario; SEN team and the many friends who provided love; compassion and prayers.

Visitation will be held at Cresmount Funeral Home Fennell Chapel, 322 Fennell Ave East, Hamilton, Ontario on Monday, July 21st from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM and 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM .

Parish Prayers will be said at 3:45 PM and Novena Prayers will be said at 7:00 PM.

The Funeral Mass will take place at Sacred Heart Church, 19 Viewpoint Avenue, Hamilton, Ontario on Tuesday, July 22, 2025 at 11:00 AM. Cremation will follow.

Eulogy for Mom:

Greetings one & all. On behalf of the Adraneda & Naval families, we wish to thank you all for accompanying us along this lengthy journey, to arrive at today’s destination. Gathered here as one, we bid our earthly farewell to our beloved mother, Isabelita Siochi Naval Adraneda. Known to one and all in our family as Mommy, Mama Lit, Lola, Lola Abe, Lita & Abel. But by whatever name she has been called, one thing is for sure, she always answered you. In one way or another, she was always there for us. Tirelessly working behind the scenes to ensure our every success. And when things did not go to plan, she was also “there” in body, heart, mind & soul. To care for us. To comfort us. To correct us. To guide us. To support & cheer us on. A person of deep faith. An inspiration to us. I am sure she is still somewhere out there, watching over us. Loving us. Praying for us. Her gentle presence, her quiet nature, her softly spoken words & hearty laugh will be forever remembered & so deeply missed.

Dear family & friends, I was kind of “volun-told” by my sweetest siblings to prepare today’s eulogy. As a sincere sign of our love & devotion. So please bear with me. Just ignore my sniffles & tears. I want to take a moment of your time to share some thoughts of our Mommy. Maybe even sharing facts you didn’t know about her. What made her special. What made her unique. What made her our Mommy.

From her humble beginnings in Malabon Rizal Philippines, Mommy had many roles to play in this lifetime. The devoted daughter to her parents, our Lolo Victor✝️ & Lola Felicidad Naval✝️. The elder twin & forever companion to Auntie Sitang✝️, also known as Auntie Tessie. The sweetest sister to her siblings: Eduardo, Jesus✝️, Avelina✝️, Luisita✝️, Angelina✝️, Angelino and Carlos✝️. The beloved wife of our Daddy, Ernesto Roman Adraneda✝️. The cherished mother to us: Erwina (Winnie), Ernesto Jr (Nes), and Elisa (Lisa). The loving Mother in Law to Dino✝️, Vivan, and Mark. The best Lola to: Xianelle, Xiarhina, Anna, Xiarissa, Marcus, Kaleb, Alex, Kian, Kialah, and Kolton. The best great-grandma & beloved Lola Abe to: Vivienne, Kaiden, Luna, Lyla, and Kira, the soon to arrive youngest of them all.

Gathering some of the facts from all who knew her & collecting these stories of her, both past & present. Born to a rather large family on June 17th 1938, she was known the gentle twin. She made a deep impression on everyone she ever met. She was the soft & reserved twin, next to her fiery & outgoing twin. But counted to be just as hard working, strong & brave. A fact stands out…she was super loved throughout her life. Growing up in an impoverished post WWII society, her childhood was indeed interesting. A sickly child, she was often seen as weak & in need of constant protection. Cue her twin’s & our Auntie’s over obvious “bullying the bullies”streak! For the whole of their lifetimes no less. Despite it all, from somewhere deep down inside, Mom had what it took to survive & to eventually thrive beyond all expectations. Because she knew how hard things were dreaming & wishing, yet doing without, we her children…never truly wanted for anything our entire lives. Looking back to then, her life was a stark contrast to our present lives here in Canada.

Destined to meet & date Ernesto Roman Adraneda Sr of Samal Bataan while studying Commerce at Far Eastern University (FEU) & our Daddy was studying Mechanical Engineering at FEATI. At the time, Manila was THE epic center for all University & Colleges. The collaborations between institutions often led to sponsored coed classes that crossed campuses. So there she was an honor student enrolled & still working full time rolling cigarettes at the tobacco factory with her parents & older siblings, to raise money for her tuition & college expenses. And then there was Dad, a smooth talking flirt with amazing social & political skills. Good thing he was super smart too! He had to match our Mom. Lol. Mommy was beautiful, sexy & smart. Fair of skin & wit. A calm & cool looker for sure. She fully captured our Daddy’s attention from the very start. A graceful blend of her Chinese & Japanese features all rolled into her Filipina-nesque persona. Exchanging flirtatious glances while studying hard to finish & graduate??!! Yup!! Absolutely! A playboy of the legendary Medina-Roman-Adraneda clans of Bataan was finally off the singles market. Taken & tied down by a Malabon beauty.

Cute side note: Dad’s younger brother Antonio, who was studying Chemical Engineering at MAPUA also fell to the beauty & charm of another beautiful lady from Malabon. Mama Pining was studying at National Teachers College while Papa Art was studying at Philippine College of Arts & Trade. What a generation! From college sweethearts to lifetime partners. They all met while studying & staying at a relative’s boarding house in Grace Park. Each couple with a sweet story of their own to be told at another time.

But I digress from my Mom’s story. Incredibly, Dad had won the heart of his shy lady. A woman who was 5 years older, a polio survivor, an introvert to his extrovert, & from a different province to boot. With sincere promises made to each other, it was time to stop talking just the talk & start to walk the walk. They got married soon after Dad’s graduation, under the watchful eyes of both sets of elders. Mom graduated & obtained her CPA designation but settled into her new role of loving housewife. All the way in Samal Bataan. So far from her family & home. Assimilating into the Adraneda family’s way of life, was a bit difficult but she faced it all with courage, confidence, sweetness & grace. She then worked hard to build a stronger family with the safe arrival of her children & the loss of several babies before me & in between us siblings. If we had all survived, there would have been 8 of us & I would have been the Sense instead of the Ate of the three of us siblings. My Mom always told me that there is no pain deeper than a mother losing her baby before birth. Plus the regrettable fact that she was not blessed with twins herself. She told me this repeated pain of loss, became the source of her courage to continue onwards & to only look towards a happier life in the future. That’s our Mom. Quietly enduring all challenges. Always thinking. Always working hard. Always giving. Always wanting what was best of us all & never minding her sacrifices. Splitting time between Malabon & Samal was not easy, but Mommy somehow made it work. By then Daddy was working at Subic Naval Base in Olongapo and Auntie Tessie had immigrated to Hamilton Ontario Canada to work as a Registered Nurse for The Hamilton Civic Hospitals. Specifically, at the Nora Henderson Hospital. The decision to move abroad was set…but the question was to move where? Applications to both the USA & Canada were made. My parents agreed to pick the country of first acceptance. Canada replied first & the USA’s offer came shortly afterwards. With the excitement of new hopes, came silent heartbreak, my brother Nes Jr was but an infant of four months when our immigration papers arrived. We could not travel to Canada together. Tearfully entrusting his care to Mommy Eseng, Inang Genia, Mama Pining & Papa Arthur, preparations to leave were made. And so with the 2yr old me in tow…we flew to Toronto in mid November 1970. And arrived in a snow storm! I faintly remember being carried down the jetway stairs & across the snow banks by a member of the flight crew. Feeling so cold until I was returned & wrapped up in my Mom’s secure embrace. Just like that…we entered into a new life. So far removed from the security & warm comforts of the familiar in the Philippines. Just thinking about their unknown future in Canada would have been daunting to a young couple with a preschool aged kid tagging along. A new country, a new city, new people, new language & new jobs. But like true champions, they bravely faced it all & adapted…together. My Mom held our family together at home, while my Dad did his best & worked very hard to support us. Slowly conquering the obstacles as they came along.

The years flew by. My baby sister Lisa was born in Hamilton while we waited for my brother to arrive. In early February 1974, our family finally reunited with my brother Nes Jr when Mama Pining & Papa Arthur Cruz immigrated to Canada with their daughters Maricel & Mabel. I remember my parents’ tears of gratitude & joy, mingled with regret & anxiety. But more importantly, I saw the relief & thankfulness that we were all together once more. From that point onwards, we became unstoppable. United. Together: We laughed. We cried. We struggled. We learned. We triumphed. We all grew up happy, healthy & whole. Wanting for nothing. Sheltered & somewhat spoiled. Raised in faith with confidence, compassion & discipline. Bearing witness to the up’s & down’s of life. From apt living across the street from Henderson Hospital, to our first real home on Cliff Avenue, & to our forever home on Stonechurch Road. My parents were always there for each other & for us.

As fate would have it, our Mom did not practice accounting in here in Canada. Her credentials were not accepted at par here & she was advised to return to University to start all over again. Bravely, she did not allow this disappointment to diminish her sense of self. She drew upon her experiences & created work opportunities from home. Mom chose to be a stay at home wife & full time mom from the time we arrived in Hamilton, up until my baby sister entered high school. Opening up our home & devoting her time to babysitting for family friends. Many of whom are still connected to us as lifelong friends & family. She started work as a health care aide at St Olga’s Nursing Home & took in bulk crocheting work for the Heaslip Company when my sister entered high school. She hand crafted hats & scarves for many years. She was naturally gifted with amazing seamstress skills. Just one look at a fashion picture & she could copy & create it for us. She made the best matching clothing for all of us kids. Often drawing her own patterns & cutting them out of old newspaper. She was a self taught beautician, hairdresser & skilled manicurist. She knew how to cut & style our hair. We (the girls) all had permed hair, cute fingernails & wore her original designs. Lol. From my toddler clothes (with the sexy cutouts) made out of pounded soft old flour & rice sacks, to our Partridge Family & Disco group styles. Yeahhh. Groovy times! It’s making a comeback time & again. And now we all call it vintage couture. Ohhh wait. Not to forget Mom’s contribution to our extensive Filipino costumes designed for our Filipino School’s folklorico performances. From the elegant Maria Clara’s & Terno’s, to the cute Tapis bukid dresses & head scarves, to the Igorot & Sultana regalias and finally to the classic Barong & Filipinana gowns. I remember Mom always stayed up late after all her work was done, to measure, design, sew & embroider. I’m sure there are pictures of us all wearing her creations, including that of my kids, somewhere out there, I just wish we had copies of them.

My Mom was a natural at growing flowers, plants, & vegetable gardening. We siblings are not as good as her. She possessed a legendary green thumb! A true match for our wanna be farmer Dad. I can still hear Dad freaking out whenever they traveled some place & Mom just “happened” to pluck a twig or leaf to take home, hidden in her pockets. Mom never told him but he would still fuss over it. Often threatening to leave her at Customs if she ever got caught. Lol. She never did get caught. And now, as a result, we still have some of her unique plants growing here at home.

My Mom was always a great cook but also relinquished that duty to my Dad when we were in elementary/middle school. Thankfully! We all still have PTSD from her infamous stinky Bamboo Shoot ramen noodles/soup & her brick style freshly baked bread. Dad’s deal was making & forcing us to eat ampalaya or bittermelon. Oh how I miss that dish now. Kind of grew on me over time. Still a solid no to pickled bamboo shoots of any kind though. Lol. But man, could Mom make delicious food. Her pancit noodles, Lumpia of all kinds, steamed Siopao buns & siomai dumplings, soups, stews, fried everything, and lots of yummy Filipino desserts! My kids & grandkids loved her adobo green beans the best. We all miss her cooking. And we’re still are trying to replicate & perfect her cooking methods. Going to miss the emergency cooking calls to Lola Abe for tips & corrections. Grateful the younger generations are interested & inspired to do so. Mom’s love language was definitely that of food & service.

Mom was afraid to drive but learned to do it anyways. She was tired of taking the bus & earned her driving license pretty late in life. The same with our Auntie Tessie. Lol. Good Lord, the Twins were finally on the road! Grateful they had nothing more serious than slight fender benders over the years.

Mom was always independent & a free thinker of sorts. Supportive of all our family endeavors but quietly moving things on her own as well. One of her greatest achievements was building & paying off her own house. The Stonechurch House. Another accomplishment was the art saving money & building up her personal wealth. Not just for herself, but for us, her children & her grandchildren. She was the quiet support behind us all.

Another side note: Mom, I am so sorry I did not inherit any of your creative skills. I can’t sew. I can’t crochet. I can’t do hair or nails. I have a black thumb that could kill even plastic plants. But I am a passable cook. No jokes intended! Anyhooo. We are trying our best now. To emulate you & trying even harder to keep your hobbies alive. You were an awesome teacher, we were just not that great as your students. But then again, you always knew how to bring out the best in us. To gently encourage us to embrace our own strengths & talents. To be the original versions of ourselves. Constantly learning, changing & working towards betterment. May we continue to preserve & pass it all along to our descendants.

Fast forward in time. For time waits for no one. We graduated from St Jean de Brebeuf High School. We all earned a Nursing Diploma & pursued nursing careers in Ontario & the USA. Eventually meeting our spouses & creating our own families. We outgrew the original house on Stonechurch Road & set up our own homes in North York, West Hamilton, and in Texas. We were fortunate & so blessed with success, under their watchful eyes. Inheriting their faith, their wisdom, & their work ethic. We in turn, strived to pass all of that on to our future generations. Watching our children & grandchildren grow up healthy, independent, & strong. All, while our parents & elders grew older & more frail. Bittersweet moments to think of. Just as new life begins, change happens to us, & then we must face that some must come to an end. Physically gone from our sight & touch, but forever living on in our hearts & memories.

It has been our utmost honor to have served & taken care of our Dad, Mom & Auntie. The love, care & encouragement shown to us all of our lives, has been given back to them freely. With no regrets at all. We have honored our promises to them. We will now make a new promise. We will continue the legacy they left behind. Keeping our Family first. Creating lives built upon our Faith. To Love freely & unconditionally. To be of Service to all, by giving of ourselves in acts both great & small. To stay humble & keep God at the center of our lives. To always walk guided by our faith & not merely by our limited human sight. To always trust in God’s Plan for us. No matter what happens. For the good times, we must cherish & celebrate. And for the not so good times, we must endure & learn from it.

Time to wrap up my rambling thoughts. This Life we are blessed with, is way too short to just dwell in sadness & loss. We have all entered this world welcomed by our loving family. We were granted precious time to bask in sunlight. But just as sure the sun rises, it too, must also set. Eventually the sunlight becomes shadowed & is replaced by the moonlight. This is that time for us. Saying goodbye is never easy. But it is time to bid our farewells. At least for now sweet Mommy. Go in peace & take Auntie’s hands & enter Heaven. She was waiting for you. I believe you crossed over together, just as you began life together within the womb. Go meet Daddy & your beloved parents. You are now whole, healthy, young & at your most beautiful again. Give all our loved ones up there a sweet hello from all of us down here. How beautiful it must be to be welcomed into our eternal Home. Where there is only perpetual light, love, and the absence of all pain & sorrow. Until the time we are all called back to Heaven, we will continue to wait & remember you. We will treasure the pictures & re-tell your stories to each other, to our children, grandchildren & friends. So we’ll try to brush away our tears for now. We will meet again someday. We thank you for everything you gave & did for us in this life. Part of our hearts left with you. We will love you forever. Rest in peace, love & light Mommy.

*Winnie 💖 Nes Jr 💖Lisa*