Basilisa Ringor Gombio was born on April 15, 1924 to Dionisio Gombio (father) and Pilar Ringor (mother) in the Philippines. Basilisa was their third child; she had three brothers and one sister. Basilisa studied and became a teacher, and taught in many parts of the Philippines. She married Modesto Tolentino on December 19, 1942, a man who she admired from across the street for many years. Together, they continued to teach in many areas of the Philippines, she as a teacher and he as a principal. Modesto (Papang) and Basilisa (Mamang) had six children, but two, Maria and Janerette, passed away as babies. Mamang taught her children the importance of education and passed onto them her strong devotion to and love for God. She instilled a foundational truth that “a family that prays together, stays together”. Basilisa quietly passed away on April 20, 2018 at 5:55pm after spending a week in a coma. Basilisa is survived by her four children and their spouses: Arturo and Melba Tolentino, Rebecca and Jaime Del Prado, Fe and Antonio Escomiendo, and Julio and Beth Tolentino, as well as fourteen grandchildren, and 31 great-grandchildren.
