Carmen Erlinda de Jesus

Carmen was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, on September 27, 1938, the first of ten children of Pedro Onia and Encarnacion Dejesus Onia.

While still an infant she returned with her mother to the Philippines, where she grew up in Bataan. School began each day only after she had gathered food for the family—a responsibility she carried proudly for the rest of her life. Though her formal education ended at sixth grade, her lifelong ambition had been to become a lawyer; her true courtroom was the home she built with love and determination.

She met Armando Racion as a young woman; their courtship lasted several years before they married and raised eight children between Bataan and Pampanga. While living in Pampanga she owned and operated a fast-food restaurant, honing the culinary skills that would later circle the globe.

In January 1993 Carmen journeyed to the United States to join her eldest daughter. Before her suitcases were unpacked she had accepted a position as Supervisor of Food Services at Castle Air Force Base. A few years later her restless energy carried her first to London, England, where she refined her craft in high-end restaurants, and then to Japan. After returning to the United States, she worked as a Home Care Provider before concluding an 18-year career in food service at Costco—closing the circle on a working life that had literally fed people on three continents.

Carmen’s joys were simple and generous: spending time with family, cooking, sewing, listening to music, dancing, and traveling the world.

Carmen was preceded in death by her beloved husband Armando Racion; her sisters Milagros and Anita; her brother Jose; her daughter Vilma; and her granddaughter Christina.

She is survived by her children and their spouses: Reynaldo, Evangeline (Ira), Godofredo, Ramonchilto, Edgardo (Leizyl), Armando Jr. (Helen), and Ludivina; her sisters Marrieta, Elisa, Imelda, Flora, Maria, and Corazon; her grandchildren Amanda, Ava, Athena, Aiden, Aria, and TeeAnna; seven additional grandchildren by marriage; twenty-one great-grandchildren; and eighteen great-great-grandchildren.

A Celebration of Life will be held on 1 February 2026; the location will be announced shortly. In place of flowers, the family asks that you share a meal with someone you love—Carmen’s favorite way of honoring life.

“She fed us all; now she rests at the table of the Lord.”