Elpidio Sienes Teves Sr.

Elpidio Sienes Teves, Sr. was a modest man, quiet and observant in his ways. He was trustworthy and traditional in both his approach to life and in his various 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. Elpid was realistic about life and was always at the ready, prepared to take on any responsibility that faced him.

Elpid came into the world on September 2, 1917 in Amlan Negros Oriental, Philippines. He grew up in Amlan, Negros Oriental and Manukan, Zambo. Norte, Philippines. He was the son of Hermenegildo and Monica Teves. He was brought up to be self-confident and dependable. These were traits that would serve him well throughout his life.

Growing up, Elpid was good at working through the usual family problems and spats when they appeared. He was the one person in the family who seemed to be the most able to keep the stress at bay. He was raised with six siblings- an older sister, Guadalupe; two older brothers, Wilfredo and Manuel; one younger sister, Amalia; and two younger brothers, Eduardo and Jose. He was the type of person who seemed to be constantly involved in activities with the other members of his family. Elpid and his siblings especially loved to go to the seashore and watch the sunset. Elpid and his siblings may have had the typical rivalries while growing up, but he was always consistently loyal to them.

Elpid's grandparents were Emmanuel Abella and Leona Teves. Elpid loved his family and remained close with them throughout his life. Elpid and his relatives enjoyed dancing and playing the slot machines together.

Elpid developed a variety of interests as a child. And many of the things he enjoyed doing, he did quite well. He was always curious about the world around him and was often eager to explore it. Elpid spent his early school years at Amlan Elementary School.

Though he wasn’t an overtly outgoing child, he did manage to be involved in a number of different areas. He was a member of the Boy Scouts and enjoyed playing basketball and volleyball. His hobbies included drawing, reading art books, and playing checkers and hide and seek.

Elpid childhood house was in a rural area of Mindanao, Philippines where he and all of siblings grew up. Pets were an important part of Elpid’s life, especially when it came to his dog, Whitey, who he loved to play with on the beach. Growing up, Elpid would travel to the island of Cebu with his parents.

While his teachers and even his friends generally thought of Elpid as being a serious person, he managed to have a pretty good time in trade school as he made that critical transition from adolescence to adulthood. He was a very logical person who enjoyed learning about factual information. Using his exceptional memory, he was able to learn much through observation. He 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 Elpid handled them well. Being a critical thinker who always remained intellectually independent, he was able to focus on the task at hand in order to complete his course work and assignments. He seemed to thrive on college reading assignments, something that often bogged down his classmates. He was able to read the material and retain the information in a way that impressed both his professors and his fellow classmates. The ability to efficiently complete the task at hand was a skill that served him well throughout college. Elpid went to college at Cebu Institute of Technology, Philippines and Foundation College in Dumaguete, Philippines. He graduated with a B.S. in Architecture and a B.S. in Education. Elpid’s favorite classes in college were math and science.

He was often cautious and careful about the people with whom he became close. There had to be some kind of spark for a relationship to develop. But there were more than sparks, there was magic when Elpid met Rosie Suganob Teves. Elpid and Rosie, both teachers, met at a school district meeting. Their first date was at the local dancing hall.

Being very traditional, Elpid wanted to make sure everything about the upcoming wedding was just right. Elpid proposed to Rosie at her place with her parents present.

The couple exchanged vows on November 26, 1972. This marked the beginning of their time together as a family. Their large wedding was at Tabon Church in the Philippines. The bridesmaids were Helen Cuenca, Delia Moroscallo and Liwayway Padao. Standing up with the groom were Cris Buhian, William Teves and Winceslao Mariño. Urbano Cuenca was the Best Man and Gloria Suganob was the Maid of Honor. Emiliano Incio, Jr. was the Ring Bearer and Genevieve Teves was the Flower Girl. The service was performed by Reverend Felino Ragonton.

Compassionate and devoted to Rosie, Elpid 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 Rosie, and using his gifts at nurturing one-on-one relationships, he worked hard to make his new family happy, no matter where they called home. Their first residence was a two bedroom house near Rosie's parents' house.

Elpid brought the same traditional values by which he lived his life to how he raised his own family. He was a good parent, 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. He was also a walking schedule. He always seemed to know what everyone in the family needed to do, where they needed to be and when they needed to be there. He had three children- Roel, Elpidio, Jr. and Shiela. Elpid enjoyed reading stories to his children. The children would often fill Elpid with pride and joy because of their accomplishments. He also tried his best to make sure the children were raised in a warm and nurturing environment. He was also very traditional about the holidays and vacations on which the family went. Their family traveled to the Island of Dumaguete and Cebu, Philippines. Later on in life, he was also blessed with two grandchildren, Elijah and Isaiah.

Elpid greatly enjoyed what he did for a living. He was a hard worker who expected the same work ethic from his co-workers. He was skilled at working effectively in just about every situation; this included small groups, one-on-one situations as well as solo tasks. He enjoyed dealing with concrete ideas and could penetrate any amount of fuzzy or unclear information to reach the essential facts. Always able to attend to the task at hand, he was excellent at meeting deadlines. He was an efficient worker, one who paid careful attention to details, allowing sufficient time to complete one task before moving on to the next. While he worked at several jobs over his lifetime, his primary occupation was working as a teacher for the government in the Philippines. Probably the most unique or interesting job Elpid ever held was when he did a painting of his brother on a large canvas.

Elpid also served in the Philippines Army as a Staff Sargent with the G-3 Sec., 6th Infantry Division (PA). A literal thinker who possessed a calm exterior, Elpid seemed to enjoy the routines set forth by the military. His results-oriented approach to things made him committed to the job at hand.

Elpid liked to experience things firsthand as well as learn about them. This trait carried over into his hobbies. He was very methodical in how he organized his activities and categorized things. Since he enjoyed his private time, Elpid always tried to set aside a certain amount of time for working on his hobbies. Some of these hobbies included reading the Bible, drawing, and watching the "Price is Right". When it came to cuisine, he particularly enjoyed anything with fish.

Elpid was a man who was dedicated and devoted to his faith, and was a member of the Roman Catholic Church. He was a sympathetic man who valued his beliefs and was willing to work tirelessly for them.

When Elpid looked ahead toward retirement he did his best to be fully prepared. The day for him to leave the workforce came in 1982. He had begun planning retirement far in advance, so everything was set out well when the time came. He retired in Jose Dalman, Zamboanga Del Norte, Philippines.

Elpid Teves left us on March 24, 2011. He passed away at Manor Health Care at the age of 93. He was preceded in death by his wife, son, and daughter. He is survived by his beloved wife and children. Services were handled by Palm Mortuary, Eastern Chapel. Elpid was laid to rest at Palm Eastern Cemetery in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Many would say that "commitment" is a word that best describes the life of Elpidio Sienes Teves, Sr. 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 others. Most of all, he was committed to those he knew and loved.

Arrangements under the direction of Palm Eastern Mortuary, Las Vegas, NV.