Donato Gumahis Lanez

Donato “Don” Gumahis Lanez, 66, died peacefully in his sleep on Tuesday, September 12, 2023 under the care of his family at their home in Chula Vista, California, following a one-and-a-half year bout with metastatic cancer.

He is survived by his wife, Estela Valenzuela Lanez; his sons, Andrew Valenzuela Lanez and Oliver Valenzuela Lanez; and the family dog, Logan.

Don was born and raised in San Miguel, Maragondon, Cavite, Philippines, and was the son of Antonio DeBoda Lanez and Paciencia Gumahis Lanez. He is preceded in death by both his parents and older brother, Teofilo Gumahis Lanez.

As a child raised in a time of economic hardship across the Philippines, Mr. Lanez had the simple dream of growing up to afford the luxury of watching TV while eating grapes. He would go on to escape that hardship and create opportunities for him to accomplish that dream plus more. Directly after high school, he applied to join the United States Navy by undergoing a highly selective recruitment process in Subic Bay, Philippines. He competed for a position among a cohort of 400 applicants and became one of the two who were finally admitted, largely due to his aptitude in math and English. He served as an Electrician’s Mate. Shortly after his first tour on the USS Midway to Yokosuka, Japan, Don married Estela, his sweetheart from a neighboring town in 1983. They gave birth to their first born son, Andrew, before immigrating to the United States where their second son, Oliver, was born. He went on to tour with the crew that commissioned the USS Rushmore in New Orleans. His final tour was on the USS Anchorage for Operation Desert Storm in Kuwait followed by a humanitarian aid mission in Somalia. Don retired after twenty years of honorable service. He resumed his trade as an electrician as a civil servant for the City of San Diego Public Utilities Department for another fifteen years into a second retirement.

During his free time, he had a perpetual interest in building the perfect home theater and audio system. He was an audiophile for the music of his generation: Rock ‘n’ Roll. Some of his notable favorites were The Beatles, The Eagles, Eric Clapton, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Journey. As the son of a carpenter, he used his geometry skills to take on various home improvement projects. He was an avid billiards player having won workplace billiards tournaments with appearances in the Navy community newspaper. It helped that he had set up a pool table in our family garage for a time and practiced with [hustled] our neighbors after hours. He was a fervent fan of Michael Jordan and Filipino national heroes Efren Reyes, Jr. and Manny Pacquiao. Finally, he was a car enthusiast having had almost twenty cars in addition to the family vehicles. Most were sports cars with his crown jewel being a black 1997 Toyota Supra Turbo 15th Anniversary Limited Edition. His passion for cars naturally passed onto both his children and was shared by the car buddies he’d meet up with at the local Starbucks which he frequented on early mornings during retirement. He will be missed by all who knew him.

A Visitation for Donato will be held Friday, September 29, 2023 from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM at Glen Abbey Mortuary's Magnolia Room. A Funeral Service will occur Saturday, September 30, 2023 from 9:30 AM to 10:30 AM at The Chapel of Roses. A Committal Service will occur Saturday, September 30, 2023 from 10:30 AM to 11:00 AM at Glen Abbey Memorial Park.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.glenabbeysandiego.net for the Lanez family.