Angelito de Castro Saqueton, MD
October 3, 1938 – January 31, 2019
February 22, 2019 Friday, 10:30 AM Mass Christ the King Church
7414 SE Michael Drive, Milwaukie, OR 97222.
Reception – lunch at parish center.
February 23, 2019 Saturday, 10:00 AM Chapel
Celebration of Life, Placement of the Urn
Lincoln Memorial Park 11801 SE Mt Scott Blvd, Portland, OR 97086
Reception – lunch at Lincoln Memorial Reception Room.
HIS LIFE STORY
AS TOLD BY LITO
Dr. Angelito C. Saqueton was born on October 3, 1938 in Kawit, Cavite, Philippines the youngest of nine children. His father was Angel Sambile Saqueton and his mother was Felicidad Rieta de Castro. The children were all professionals so that the townspeople thought they were wealthy. But they were not wealthy. As is typical of many Filipino families, the older siblings help financially with the education of the younger ones.
Lito was five years old during World War II. He had memories of that war. But his most vivid recollection of that war was when the Japanese soldiers got his father in the middle of the night for aiding the underground forces. His recollection was of bayonets close to their faces while they were lying down on banig mats on the floor while the older brothers were all facing the outside windows. Luckily, the Japanese soldiers did not allow his father to get dressed. They took him with his undershirt and underpants on. If they allowed him to get dressed, in his pants pocket were receipts from the underground showing the amount of rice that he supplied. When they released him from prison several months later, he wore the same undershirt and underpants on, but of course, they were tattered. He recalled that they were using fish bones to mend the rips and tears. He also recalled that the kindest person in prison were the educated Japanese officers. This reinforced his contention that you cannot judge a person by his race but by his individual character. This also solidified his belief in the value of education.
He was a lifelong “Number 2”. He was number two in a National Baby Contest during the Philippine Commonwealth years. Mrs Osmena, the wife of the Vice President, remarked “Que nina bonita!” He had curly hair, and Mrs Osmena thought he was a girl. He graduated salutatorian at Aguinaldo Elementary School. In 1954, he also graduated salutatorian at Kawit High School.
His medical schooling was interrupted by retinal detachment after the second year of medicine proper. That was when his greatest blessing came. He met and courted his future wife, Medy Cadiz Cajulis. *His wife says that broke his being lifelong “Number 2” because soon he topped the 1962 complete medical examinations given by the Philippine Board of Medical Examiners. He also graduated Cum Laude of UST medical class 1962.*
In 1962, he had a rotating internship at Clark Air Force Base as a requirement for graduation as a medical doctor (MD). In 1963, he had rotating internship at Ellis Hospital in Schenectady, New York. Looking back, that was a good internship with trainees from different countries – a fellow from Mayo Clinic, Albany Medical Center, New York, Canada, USA, Japan, Korea, India, Iraq, Argentina, France, Switzerland, and of course from three major universities in the Philippines. He recalled that when he was a pediatrician at Clark Air Force Base in Pampanga, Philippines (before the eruption of Mt Pinatubo) he was not getting enough sleep keeping the preemies alive so he made up his mind to specialize in dermatology. He had a three-year residency in Dermatology at the University of Chicago. He stayed on for another year as instructor in Dermatology at the University of Chicago before going home to the Philippines.
His practice was thriving in the Philippines, and Medy was well ensconced as instructor at the College of Education at the University of Santo Tomas when in 1972, President Marcos declared Martial Law. Decision time. Medical doctors and professors more established than him were leaving, and so, he decided to return to the U.S. In 1973, Lito joined a Dermatology Clinic in Norwich, Connecticut. Lito became very homesick and Medy did not like living in a small New England city after the bustling metropolis of Manila. Because of his severe ragweed allergy he looked at the pollen map and applied for a position. His choices were Portland, Oregon, Hawaii or Florida, but Portland accepted him first and this was close enough to the Philippines.
He liked Portland and the Oregon outdoors. He often referred to Oregon as “God’s country”. Family life made him forget about going home to the Philippines.
Lito was Vice President of the Oregon Dermatology Society when Mark Bauer, MD of Olympia, Washington was President. He stayed as a Kaiser Staff Dermatologist until his retirement in 2005. He retired as Adjunct Professor of Dermatology at Oregon Health and Sciences University (OHSU). He was voted as Outstanding Physician in 1996 and his daughter, Cecilia, was voted as Outstanding Physician in 2012. His two sons Gerry and Wil are also awardees in their professions. So are his son-in-law Charlie Muraki and daughter-in-law Julie Spottiswood Saqueton. He has five grandchildren Courtney, Kai, Ryan, Elena and Olivia.
Besides his professional career he also liked music, plants, fishing and tennis.
Music – He played the piano by ear. He liked Philippine songs and knew many of the popular ones. He also prided himself in knowing some background about the music. For example, he knew that George Canseco (Kapantay ay Langit, Ngayon at Kailanman, Ikaw) was a journalist and had no formal musical training. He also liked Broadway Musicals and popular tunes. He knew that many composers/writers were of Jewish ancestry (Irving Berlin, Rodgers and Hammerstein, George and Ira Gershwin).
Plants – He loved plants and prided himself in knowing the botanical names of some.
Fishing – Come June he didn’t know whether to go to the coast for perch, the Columbia River for shad or the nearby lakes and reservoirs for trout. His best fishing buddy was the late Angel Ramirez.
Tennis – He loved tennis although he was not a good tennis player. He loved playing tennis with his son, Wil (who is a good tennis player) whenever they got together.
As president of the Filipino American Friendship Club of Oregon from 2008 to 2010 Lito organized Filipino cooking classes and encouraged the youth to plant with Friends of Trees.
He was a 2012 Most Honored Elder Award Recipient of The Asian Reporter Foundation.
He liked to attend funeral services because the positive traits of the deceased are mentioned and he had a chance to compare himself. Most of the time he said he fell short, he could be a better father, a better husband, a better brother, a better friend.
Ultimately, he believed that the good Lord gave us time to change for the better. Do not waste it.
Remember me in quiet days,
while raindrops
whisper on your pane.
Remember in your memories
have no grief,
let the joy we knew remain.
Remember me if once you wake,
to catch a glimpse of red sunrise.
Remember when your thoughts
do turn to me,
know that I would not have you cry,
but live for me, and laugh for me.
When you are happy so am I.
Remember an old joke we shared.
Remember me when
spring walks by.
Think once of me when you are glad
And while you live, I shall not die!
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