Evangeline Origuel Escobar

Evangeline (Vangie) Adoracion Origuel Escobar, 90, of Midlothian, peacefully departed this life on Thursday, October 20, 2022. She was preceded in death by her parents, Don Pedro Pontiveros Escobar and Dona Felicidad Origuel Escobar; and her four brothers, two sisters, and four sisters-in-law: Pedro Origuel Escobar, Jr. (Florentina), Eduvigis Origuel Escobar, Francisco Origuel Escobar (Angelita), Gloria Escobar Solivet, Nereo Origuel Escobar (Josephina), and Arturo Origuel Escobar (Zenaida). Surviving are her sister Veneracion Origuel Escobar and brother-in-law, Leonardo Solivet.

Vangie was born in Manila, Philippines on October 5, 1932. Her earliest years were spent in Majayjay, Laguna, and eventually was raised in Nagcarlan, Laguna. She attended the University of Santo Thomas (Philippines), where in 1956, she earned a degree in Commerce.

During Vangie’s last couple of years when dementia and cancer took a toll on her health, her niece, Nenita Solivet Albovias, and grandniece, Myca Solivet Ball, demonstrated the greatest form of selflessness and love, by being her primary caregivers. Nenita sacrificed being with her family in the Philippines by spending months in the US, to make sure family took care of her Tita (aunt) Vangie. Myca sacrificed her newlywed status and moved in with the aunts as the two sisters could not live by themselves any longer.

Vangie was a beloved Tita (aunt) to several nieces and nephews, a great aunt to the children of her nieces and nephews, and a godmother to her loving nieces, Elizabeth Escobar Torio and Antonia Escobar Bautista. She was a kind, generous, and loving aunt to her nieces and nephews, and they all loved her in return.

Vangie moved to the United States in 1969 to join her youngest sister, Vee, where both sisters made Richmond, Virginia their home. Vangie was a dedicated employee of various state agencies of the Commonwealth of Virginia. She was popular and loved by VCU students who saw her at the Student Accounts office in the late ‘70s and in the ‘80s. She was a friendly face to these students and a wonderful coworker to her VCU Student Accounts team. She has always been a social butterfly, befriending several of her peers and was always joking and picking on a few male coworkers and introducing them as her “boyfriend”.

When she retired, she missed the social aspect of working so she decided to work part-time even well into her 80’s for the Department of Medical Assistance Services. During her time with DMAS, her favorite niece (as she would refer to Glenda), happened to work in the same building in downtown Richmond. She would always treat Glenda to lunch and the Filipino motherly characteristic of wanting to feed folks, kicked in every time. So much so that she would insist that Glenda would order food for dinner as well, to take home for her family. Cooking and feeding the people around her was how Vangie showed her love for others. She was a Master Chef, and the kitchen was her domain. Anyone who has encountered her can attest to her desire to feed them and make them feel loved through the delicious food she made.

Vangie’s other interests included traveling and music. She traveled all over Europe, Canada, here in the US, and back to her homeland in the Philippines. She traveled with friends and mostly with her sister, Vee, and Vee’s best friend Alicia. The three of them were avid travelers. Vangie loved playing the piano. She was a talented pianist and would not hesitate to play the piano for friends and relatives. Her favorite pieces are the classic romantic songs from the ‘50s such as the theme to “An Affair to Remember”.

The family will receive friends on Tuesday, October 25, 2022, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Woody Funeral Home Huguenot Chapel, 1020 Huguenot Road, Midlothian, Virginia 23113.