Immaculada Pana

Immaculada “Emmie” Gozum Fabian Paña, born on 8 December 1951, the feast of the Immaculate Conception. She was the 8th of 9 children of Cosme Fabian and Sixta Gozum. She was the third and youngest daughter and enjoyed the outdoors as a child and teenager in Victoria, Tarlac.

She wanted to be a teacher, but instead of studying education, she took accountancy for college. She relocated to Manila for her studies and eventually found work in a major insurance company there.

Emmie met her future husband Esteban “Steve” Paña at their workplace. They married civilly on 23 February 1977, and then in the Catholic rite on 5 December 1977. They have 3 children - Tristan Joseph, Maria Cecilia, and Glenn.

Her family was petitioned by her mother to emigrate to the US, and they moved to North Charleston, SC in mid-1990s. She worked for more than 20 years in S&S Cafeteria, until her retirement in 2019.

In early 2022, she was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome, and underwent treatment for a year. In March 2023, she suffered from sepsis due to pneumonia and passed on 25 March 2023, on the Feast of the Annunciation of our Lord.

She is known for her generosity, her positivity, and pleasantness. Emmie was well-loved by her former colleagues turned friends in her workplaces.

She was a devout Catholic, with a deep devotion to the Blessed Mother and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. She also drew strength from watching revered Christian pastors and shared her reflections and insights to family and friends whom she thought would benefit from these. She was an intercessor, and prayed for the intentions of her family and friends.

She will be missed, and her legacy of love will never be forgotten.

A visitation at Carolina Memorial Funeral Home for Immaculada will be held Wednesday, March 29, 2023 from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM. A Mass of Christian Burial at St Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church will occur Thursday, March 30, 2023 at 11:30 AM.