Celerina F. Potes

With great sadness and heavy hearts, the family of Celerina "Deedette" Factura Potes of Toronto, announces her passing at the age of 68. She slipped away without struggle on December 28, 2023, at Humber River Hospital with family by her side.

Born October 7, 1955 in Cagayan de Oro City, Mindanao, Philippines to the late Nena and Rosito, she was the eldest daughter of nine siblings. Deedette graduated from Lourdes College (Cagayan de Oro), continuing to Gregorio Araneta University in Manila, where she received a BSc in Commerce. While working her first job in Manila, she met Atty. Eulogio "Jun" Potes Jr., marrying in 1978 at St. Pancratius Church, Paco Park. They were married just shy of 25 years until Jun's passing in 2003.

Living in Quezon City, they welcomed their first child, Samantha, and a second, Flordeliza, predeceased. In 1982, they emigrated to Canada, where they were embraced by the Potes family that had previously settled in Toronto – Perla and Aida, Jun's sisters, and their parents Visitacion and Eulogio Sr. Their family continued to grow, adding Christine, followed by Katrina.

As a mother of three girls, she was warm, nurturing, firm, and fair. She was the disciplinarian in the family but was always conscientious of the challenges of growing up a girl. She took care to teach us how to cook rice properly, how to iron nicely, but also how to write a resume. Her relationship with Jun also taught us what a loving marriage was, and that teamwork was essential in a family. Childhood friends were always welcome at our home, and she would take an interest in each of them, always up for chatting and having a laugh. She would emphasize the importance of doing the right thing, treating others how we wanted to be treated and watching out for one another. As adults, she would do the latter regularly, texting us in the middle of the day to ask how things were going, whether we ate lunch, and if we knew what our sister ate for lunch.

Aside from being a caring mom, she was a working mom - first working at the girls' daycare in the kitchen, later joining the Department of Nutrition Services at Toronto General Hospital as a Diet Clerk. She would talk to us about the importance of hard work and doing a good job, no matter how big or small a task. She would later transfer to Toronto Western Hospital and retire from West Park Healthcare Centre in 2019.

Incredibly proud of her family, she always prioritized them, whether near or far. She stayed in touch with her siblings overseas, often video chatting with several at a time and at various times of the day. She mastered Facebook with a very active account, sharing the many photos she took at every gathering and lovingly documenting the memories being made. Friends, too, would be included in these photos. Whether the pictures were of everyone gathered around a table or the apos playing with one another at the park, she always thanked everyone for the "likes."

Her proudest role was as a grandmother. She loved children, especially a chubby baby. She relished being Lola to Oscar, Frankie and Sydney, spoiling each one with gifts and treats whenever possible. She loved surprising Oscar and Frankie with slurpees and enjoyed doing Sydney's hair, adorning her with bows. Her phone is filled with photos and videos of the three of them.

Deedette was an exceptional home cook and loved nothing more but to feed a large crowd. She would share her cooking with family and friends, often driving across the city to bring her homemade Lumpiang Sariwa or Kare-Kare to loved ones. Family celebrations always included at least three of her dishes, regardless of how many were attended. Her family favourites were Pancit Bihon, Lumpia Shanghai, and Palabok. If she really liked you, she would make you her extra-cheesy lasagna. She believed food was meant to be shared and was very generous.

Deedette renewed her love of dancing when she met Bienvendio "Buddy" Paras in 2006. Together, they attended many dances and parties, eventually becoming members of The West-Way Dance Club in Etobicoke and making many lasting friendships within the Filipino Community in Mississauga. Treasured friends like Linda and the late Ruben, Nini and Noel, Nitz and Tony, Mel and Chris were near and dear to her, by her side until the end.

With Buddy, she also expanded her family circle to include the Paras Family. Thank you to Teng, Lizza, Noel, Bim, and the many grandchildren and great-grandchildren for welcoming her and showing her love.

Deedette is survived by her three daughters, Samantha (Scott), Christine (Matt), and Katrina (Lucas); three grandchildren, Oscar, Francis and Sydney; and sisters-in-law, Perla, Aida and Agnes of Toronto. In the Philippines, she is survived by siblings Virgilio (Lourdes) and Ronneil (Miriam) of Manila, and Rona, Hernando (Amelina) and Naneth (Jefferson) of Cagayan de Oro. In Brazil, she is survived by Rowena (Carlito) of Sao Paolo. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews in the Philippines, the Middle East and Brazil.

We thank the doctors, nurses and staff at Humber River Hospital, especially Dr. Reinhartz, Dr. Sudan, Dr. Tran and Dr. Duncan, for helping our family navigate her Stage 4 Stomach Cancer diagnosis and providing her comfort. We will forever be grateful for your care and kindness.

Visitation will be held from 4PM to 8PM on Monday, January 8 and Tuesday, January 9, 2024, at Rosar-Morrison Funeral Home. The funeral mass will take place on Wednesday, January 10, at St. Michael's Cathedral Basilica at 10AM (available for viewing at https://www.stmichaelscathedral.com/celerina-potes/), followed by burial at Highland Memory Gardens.