Lilia Vales Estrada

Lilia Vales Estrada was born to Salvador Baraan Vales and Maria Navarro Vales, on June 7, 1953 in Mabini, Pangasinan, Philippines. She was the eldest of her siblings, Edwin, Wilma, Ramiro, Cynthia, and Nida.

She attended Mabini Central Elementary school 1960-1966. In 1965, Lilia and her aunts were gathering food for their pigs. A young boy, named Diosdado Estrada, just so happened to be in the same remote area, herding his animals. He noticed Lilia struggling to carry her harvest, and offered to help. She furiously refused Diosdado’s assistance. Little did she know, they would cross paths again in the classroom at the start of the school year, and eventually fall into everlasting love.

1966-1970, Lilia attended Riverview High School. 1970-1975, she attended the University of Pangasinan School of Nursing. After graduation, Lilia passed her board exams, and worked as a staff nurse at Santo Tomas Hospital 1976-1977. In 1977, Lilia continued higher education at Arellano University, and started working at Cardinal Santos Memorial Hospital. In 1979, she graduated and earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. The next year, she immigrated to the United States of America.

In 1980, Lilia lived in the Chicago Area, and worked at the Four Seasons Nursing Center until 1982. In the same year, she passed the nursing licensure exam and moved to California. Lilia worked at a nursing home 1982-1984. Later that year, she started work as a staff nurse at Cedar Sinai Medical Center.

On June 6, 1987, Lilia married the boy she had serendipitously met in 1965, Diosdado Estrada, now a young man. On January 23, 1988, she gave birth to their son, Raymond James Estrada. August 17, 1989, brought their daughter, Kathleen Blanche Estrada.

In 1990, Lilia and her family moved to Seattle, Washington, where she started work as a staff nurse at Swedish Medical Center. In 1996, they moved to her current home in Everett, Washington. In 2018, after nearly three decades of compassionate patient care and committed service as a nurse at Swedish Medical Center, she retired.

Unfortunately, Lilia was soon faced with an unprecedented challenge. She had developed breast cancer. Lilia was incredibly strong, enduring all treatments, side-effects, trials, and tribulations. She fought with all her strength, love, will, and faith for nearly two years. Lilia passed away on Friday, March 6, 2020, at the age of 66, peacefully and in the presence of loved-ones.

Lilia was selfless, caring, humble, hardworking, resilient, and lovingly feisty. She was a devout Catholic and faithful servant of the Lord. Lilia loved gardening, cooking, and going fishing with her husband. Most of all, she enjoyed helping others and loving her family. She is survived by her siblings, husband, son, and daughter and son-in-law.

Her love has left an everlasting mark on this world, and she will always be in our hearts.