Vincula Vera Cerezo

Born: Linoc, Binmaley, Pangasinan, Philippines

Passed away: Las Vegas, Nevada, United States of America

A beloved husband, dad, and grandpa, as well as brother, uncle, cousin, ninong, and dear friend

Vincula Vera Cerezo, a selfless, generous, and honorable man known for his hospitality and loving heart, passed away during the evening of May 19, 2024, surrounded by his family at his bedside in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. His family feels incredibly blessed and privileged to have had a supportive and loving relationship with a dearest and caring dad and grandpa. They couldn’t have asked for a better man for their late mom and grandma, who passed away the previous year on July 26, 2023, at the age of 85.

Vincula was born into and grew up in a family in Linoc, Binmaley, Pangasinan, Philippines; family members include his parents Gregorio Velasco Cerezo and Juliana de Vera Cerezo (both deceased by the time Vincula was in his teenage years); brother Alfredo Cerezo; brother Candido Cerezo (deceased); sister Antonina Cerezo (Mendoza) (deceased); and brother Juan Cerezo (deceased). His sibling Alfredo is 95 and lives in California, USA. Growing up in the Philippines, Vincula enjoyed going to relatives’ and friends’ homes, church, Lingayen Beach, town fiestas, and the numerous fish ponds.

Known for his sweet, tender character, Vincula courted Saturnina or his mahal, who was known for her inner and outer beauty and keenness. The two were neighbors in the same barangay/barrio of Linoc and knew each other since childhood. At the time, Vincula was serving in the U.S. Navy (before the Navy, he served in the Philippine military as required and afterwards briefly attended college at the University of the East in Manila, Philippines in a pre-law career path before being recruited to join the U.S. Navy). Having common values and mutual admiration for one another, the pair fell in love and were later married on September 8, 1958 in the Roman Catholic Church of Binmaley, Pangasinan.

Over a span of 64 years of marital bliss and living in a variety of places before and after Vincula became a U.S. Navy retired veteran (after honorably serving his country for 20 years), the couple’s life was filled with experiences, memorable occasions, and priorities. The two of them would repeatedly show by words and actions that family, faith, and Filipino culture were extremely important to them.

A chef/cook for the majority of time in the U.S. Navy and later for the State of California (he would also go on to retire from the state), and a retiree, Vincula was known to share with others that his greatest achievement in this life was his family – a loving wife, a total of six (6) children, and thirteen (13) grandchildren – all of whom brought joy, light, and smiles to his blessed life.

The couple’s first child and grandchildren: Christopher Doria Cerezo (a U.S. Navy retired veteran) and wife Nancy Cerezo of Virginia; Ashley Cerezo of Virginia and Christian Vin Cerezo of California.

The couple’s second child and grandchildren: Mary Ann Cerezo Balaoro and husband Marcel Balaoro (a U.S. Air Force retired veteran) of Nevada; Luke Balaoro of New Mexico and Leanna Balaoro of Texas.

The couple’s third child and grandchildren: Richard Doria Cerezo and wife Liberty Cerezo of California; Leah Cerezo Cho and husband Ben Cho, and Noah Cerezo, all of California.

The couple’s fourth child and grandchildren: Michael Doria Cerezo (a U.S. Army retired veteran) and wife Diana Cerezo of California; Gabriella Cerezo-Keller and husband Lucas Keller, and Brandon Cerezo, all of California.

The couple’s fifth child and grandchildren: Mark Doria Cerezo (a U.S. Navy retired veteran) and wife Alanie Cerezo of California; Marcie Lynn Cerezo, Daniel Cerezo* and wife Cally Cerezo*, and Mathias Cerezo, all of California. *The couple are helping to defend America’s freedom as officers in the U.S. Marine Corps; Daniel is a pilot.

The couple’s sixth child and grandchildren: Joan Cerezo Rueben and husband Steven Rueben of Nevada; Scott Rueben and Sean Rueben, both of Nevada.

Those who loved and/or admired Vincula knew of: his faith, love of saying the Angelus Prayer at 6 p.m., and gratefulness to God for life’s blessings; his selfless, determined, and honorable character; his love for his cherished family members in the USA and in the Philippines, as well as for the families of his children’s in-laws and his treasured friends in the USA over the decades, especially those from Christ the King (CTK) Catholic Church in Las Vegas, Nevada; his supporting others to do and be their best in any undertaking, endeavor, etc.; his enjoyment of teaching his kids how to fish, catch crabs, dig for clams, play tennis, etc.; his happiness in driving some of his children to baseball practice and watching their games; his gladness in arranging for piano lessons for some of his kids who wanted them and listening to them play the piano; his having fun with the love of his life gallivanting around town going to places such as The Orleans (to eat, watch movies, or gamble), and traveling out of the state or internationally for cruising or land-based vacations; his joy when babysitting his grandchildren and watching them grow up; how he enjoyed talking on the phone with or visiting with his loved ones; his welcoming and hospitable nature when opening his home to relatives, so they could live with the family or simply come over for sleepovers and enjoy his and his wife’s cooking (especially at the family’s home in Santa Clara, California); his pleasure in hosting family parties and social gatherings when family members of all ages looked forward to playing bingo and other games; his Filipino as well as American cooking representative of a variety of ethnic backgrounds made with love (e.g., meat loaf, spaghetti, potato salad, and egg in a nest/basket were always requested by family and friends); how he would look forward to getting together with his CTK barkada to eat, converse, and play cards; his appreciation of spending time with his children and grandchildren simply eating and conversing with one another, for example, at his home or at his youngest daughter’s home in Las Vegas, Nevada; his enjoyment of listening to music (e.g., from singer Debbie Reynolds or classic Filipino love songs); and his affinity for reading and learning and keeping up with current events by reading newspapers or watching the news on the television.

Beloved husband, dad, and grandpa, as well as brother, uncle, cousin, ninong, and dear friend – Vincula – your essence and legacy of being selfless, making your relationships with family and friends a priority, and enjoying the time with and company of your loved ones will always be in our hearts. You were a hospitable, impactful, and special man whose love, generosity, and honorable intentions truly enriched everyone around you. Your mental sharpness and wisdom even to the very end will always be remembered. You’ll be sorely missed for the rest of our lives.

A message from the family: On behalf of our entire family, thank you for the love, support, and prayers during this difficult time. Our family mourns a wonderful man and role model with a loving heart, who’ll never be forgotten.