Ysabel Pe Atienza-Avey

https://youtu.be/PlucqCx0kPY

I was born in San Jose de Buenavista, the capital of Antique, on Nov 5,  1919. As I remembered it, it was a beautiful town.  It has the most picturesque beaches in the world compared to Boracay or Cannes in France or Bora Bora in the South Pacific.  On the east side facing the South China Sea, we called Madrangca, were cliffs, white sand and rocks galore.  The pristine beauty alone is indescribable.  The blue and white waves that hit the rocks so precise you can count them.  When we were kids we used to go to the beach to swim and pick up corals of all colors.  We had picnics on the white sand beach which has dwarf trees growing on the rocks as tall as you.  This is the atmosphere and life I had as a child.

My father was a Chinese immigrant from China who came with his father to open a store in San Jose. My mother was a daughter of an American-German soldier during the Spanish American War in the Philippines. My father was a self-educated man and a member of a Free Masonry in Antique. He was the president of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in San Jose for four years.  He was very active socially and politically.  He contributed lavishly for charitable organization. His pastime was riding his motorcycle everywhere, but on weekends he hired a driver to take the family for a ride in his car. My maternal grandmother took care of us by supervising the maids around the house. I was more bonded to her than my mother.

When my father realized that his business was hitting the rocks, he rented his store to a fellow Chinese. He moved his family to Iloilo where he landed a job as a chief clerk in a bank. My father was fluent in Spanish and English.  He acted as an interpreter of the Chinese community. He read the Spanish newspaper everyday [La Vanguardia]. He read law books and was more knowledgeable about laws than anybody other than the lawyers.

My father aimed that all his children should learn the Chinese language. In 1929, he sent Cecilia and me to study in the First Chinese Girl's School in Manila. He sent my brother Alberto to study Mandarin in China. After a year we were sent back to join the family in Antique. Cecilia and I were good students and got good grades. In Antique, Father enrolled us in the public school for the first time. There was no private school then.

I'm now eleven years old and in the fourth grade. After one month I was accelerated to the fifth grade by the principal, Teopisto De Gracia.  I graduated in the elementary school with honor. I was a member of the Glee Club, Dramatic club, and Debating Club. [Is Independence Good For The Country?]. That was the title of our debate. I was in the affirmative side. In those days the Philippines was still under the American Regime and we longed to have our independence.  High school days were the happiest for me. Cecilia was crowned Miss Antique High School of 1935. It was a three day school festivities. Father was not very enthusiastic of the event. He thought we were getting more social than academic in our school. I did not feel the same way. In 1936, without finishing high school, Cecilia married her boyfriend, AbelardoVillavert, a school teacher, who comes from a prominent family in Antique. She was 18 years old. I felt sorry for her for marrying young. This event hastened our moving to Manila. My father sold our house in San Jose. I was enrolled in the Instituto De Mujeres, a prominent secular school for girls in Tayuman St.Manila. At first, I was not enthusiastically welcomed in that school. I was bullied by some students in my Spanish class, but I fought back. They thought I was just a country girl naive and shy who could be bullied around. They were wrong! They finally changed their mind and became my friends. I participated in extra-curricular activities in school. I  graduated high school with honor in 1938-39. My father wanted to enroll me  in Optometry  at  the Centro Escolar De Senoritas in  Azcarraga St. He said I could be a doctor  in two years. I didn’t realize he was right then. Instead; I enrolled in Liberal Arts at the University of Sto. Thomas, Sampaloc, Manila. Father did not pay my tuition, so I looked for a job.  I had morning classes in the University and in the afternoon taught kindergarten in Pasay City. I couldn’t believe I was a teacher at the age of eighteen!  My life as a college student was very challenging. I enjoyed extra-curricular activities like the Glee club and Dramatic club. In Dec.8, 1941 Pearl Harbor was bombed by the Japanese Army. That was the start of the Second World War in the Philippines.  My life was totally changed.  I just celebrated my 22nd birthday.  Since war was eminent, my family moved back to Antique to evacuate, where it was safer than in the city.  My mother was sick then, and was left in the hospital in Iloilo City so she could be closer to her doctor, Dr. Ledesma. She stayed at St. Paul hospital while the rest of the families were sent back to San Jose.

I was left in Manila in the boarding house, when the war broke out.  The gov't declared Manila an open city. All schools were closed. The residents started evacuating outside Manila. My sister Cecilia and her family evacuated to Balintawak, a suburb of Manila.  I went with my friends who were from Calamba, Laguna to their hometown.  In Dec.22, 1941 I was hit by shrapnel in the house of my friend, Juanita in Calamba during an air raid. It was not serious. Sixty three years later with MRI in 2004, we found out that the shrapnel is still inside my head.  My brother, Alberto picked me up to go back to Manila. The Japanese Army occupied the city of Manila. We took a [Batil] fishing boat to Panay Island. My sister Cecilia, her husband Abelardo and her two children, Junior and Lita were with us on that trip. With favorable wind we reached Capiz, a town in Northern Panay where we took a bus to San Jose. We were detained at the barracks of the [USAFFE] Philippine army, because we came from an occupied area of the Japanese Army. [Our enemies] My father prepared all the papers and documents for our release.

I joined my family who evacuated in San Remegio, a community close to the mountains. My father realized the place was not safe for us to stay there. There was a military base in that area. The mayor of San Jose, Alberto Villavert visited us and convinced my father to transfer us to Asluman, San Jose. We followed the advice of the Mayor.  My sister, Anita, Nena, Annie, Emma and me were transferred to Asluman to stay in the house of my sister, Cecilia.

The rest of the family were left in San Remigio. We were not happy with the situation we were in, my mother in the hospital in Iloilo, my father together with my younger siblings in San Remigio and the older girls were in Asluman.  That was how it was  until the Japanese Army formed an alliance with the Mayor of San Jose to ask the people to go back to their homes in the town of San Jose, that they will be protected from harm whatsoever while they were in the Japanese territory.  Things were starting to be normal again. We have places to go shopping. We formed a neighborhood association that distributed food and necessities to families once a week. I was thanking God that we were spared the atrocities of war.  There were very few Japanese soldiers in San Jose. The ones that arrived were very kind, gentle and generous to us. They helped us in many ways. They came to the house to visit and make friends. Our friend, Captain Yamaji sent my brother Alberto to study Radio Operation in Manila. He was given the job after his return. Captain Yamaji was from Honshu, a descendant of the Samurai family. He was intelligent and a well-educated man. He spoke good English. He taught me the Japanese language [Nihongo], Japanese songs, and the Japanese tea ceremony.

I was working in the clinic ran by the Japanese Army. My boss was a Japanese doctor, Dr. Yamaguchi.  He was a captain in the Japanese Army. I was hired as an interpreter while my sister, Anita was working with a nurse- pharmacist to distribute the medicine to the people. In 1943, the Japanese soldiers were still visible around us.  Lots of the activities were in the mining town of San Remigio. Mining engineers, civil engineers and architects were hired to work there. They came from different parts of the country. Some were boarding in the house of my former teacher, Mrs.Felen.The one and only beauty parlor was in that house. I  and my sister, Anita were having a permanent, when I met my husband,  Pedro Atienza, an architect from Bigaa, Bulacan.He was boarding with his brother in that house. He was handsome, smartly dressed and suave. He came with his brother, Pablo, a civil engineer, to work in the mine. I met my husband on March 7, 1943. He visited me every night, in spite of the danger he encountered, facing a Japanese sentry with a bayonet pointed at him. He had to bow with his head parallel to his waist. We had a short courtship, and were married in the Catholic Church in San Jose on June 20, 1943. It was a simple ceremony with a solemn Mass performed by an old priest named Padre Jose. There was a reception at the house of Mrs.Felen, who became my godmother. After the party was over, Pedro and I took the wedding cake to my sick mother who cannot attend the wedding celebration. We ate the cake together with her. There was a dance held at the Plaza for us by the Light Bringers, a club of which we were members. As soon as we entered the hall the band played the music,'" I Love You Truly” We danced and the people followed.  We had a ball until the wee hours of the morning. San Jose was a quiet town by itself, and we enjoyed the atmosphere around us. We found a house close to the office of Pedro and we stayed there for a while. Pedro's job was drafting plans for proposed buildings that the Japanese Army constructed around the town.  In the construction sites, he met all kinds of laborers. Some were guerrillas from outside the town who were able to sneak in and worked inside the construction site. Pedro befriended these workers and helped them in anyway he could. He sent them to the house and gave them his clothes, food, cigarettes and cash. The guerrillas sent "runners” to pick up plans my husband drafted that day in his office. The guerrillas sent the plans to Gen. MacArthur in Australia. In the later part of the war, there were small Japanese ships that traveled Iloilo and back every now and then. My father took advantage of this. When he visited my mother in the hospital, he carried merchandise back to Antique. This started his business of buying and selling. In the early part of the war,   my father rode his bike to visit my mother in the hospital in Iloilo. That was approximately 98 kilometers away. Since the bridges were destroyed by the USAFFE [United States Armed Forces of the Far East], the roads available were the ones going to the mountains. That was the path that my father took with his bike. He had to pass the huge mountain that separate Antique and Iloilo. It was a terrible ordeal for him. He stopped at night to eat and sleep with strangers in their homes. My father experienced first hand hospitality that Filipinos are famous for. He was lucky to get along well with those people. He was served the best food in the house, in the only chinaware and silverware they have and given the best place to sleep on.  While at home, I took charge of my ten siblings who were from four years old to nineteen years old. Alberto,19 years old; Anita,15 years old; Nena, 13 years old;Joseph, 12 years old;Ramon, 11 years old; Annie, 10 years old; Emma, 09 years old; Romeo,08 years old; Rufino,06 years old;  and lastly our baby brother, Oscar 04 years old. My eldest sister, Cecilia who was married, with two children, Junior and Lita, 4 and 3 years old lived in a separate house with her in-laws. One blessing we had was that we were all together in one house and all our relatives and friends were close by to help us. Later, Mother came home from the hospital. We were so happy, we had a celebration. Our neighbor gave us a big cake and another sent us a home-made ice cream. Time flies so fast, before we knew it, I was a mother of a baby girl named Cecilia Ruby on July 3, 1944.  She was a beautiful baby with natural curls. Her high forehead made people who saw her remarked that she was an intelligent child. Less than a month later, my mother passed away on August 1, 1944. That was the saddest episode of my life. After the period of mourning and grieving, my father decided to put the younger children in different homes. The boys were all with him, while the girls were divided between Cecilia and me. He sent my sister, Emma to me.  In 1945, construction was booming in Manila. Pedro had a job waiting for him there.  When schools opened in San Jose, Pedro applied in Antique High School to teach Algebra while waiting for transportation to Manila. He taught for six months.  On October 16, 1945, we left San Jose with Emma and Celedona who was a baby sitter for my baby Ruby who was now one year old. We took the bus from San Jose to Iloilo. We stayed with my father who had business transaction in Iloilo. We left Iloilo one week later in the first plane ride of my life. Liberation----1945.We were in Manila living in a crowded apartment. People from other places were coming back to work. Pedro worked as an architect at the American Red Cross Construction Dept. in Manila. He drafted plans for some of his friends who wanted to have a house of their own. On September 15, 1946, my second daughter, Melinda was born in Emmanuel Hospital Tondo, Manila.  At this time, my baby who looked Caucasian was interchanged by the night-shift nurse with an American baby in another room. Right away, I noticed I got the wrong baby. The baby that the nurse brought to me was bigger and could suck faster than my baby. Pedro quitted his job to have a private practice. He opened an office in downtown, Plaza Santa Cruz. His partner was Architect Federico Ilustre who was his classmate in Mapua Institute of Technology. They contracted with the Department of Public Works. They built the grandstand in the Luneta, some offices around the city like the Finance Building etc. In the later part of the year, Pedro was sent to supervise the construction of the Plaza Theater in Baguio.The owner was Dr. Jose De la Rosa. In Baguio City, the temperature was 55'-75' every day. We stayed in their compound in Quezon Hill for one year. On Oct.2, 1947, my third daughter, Cynthia was born. She was a very active child. Two months later we went back to Manila. We passed Biga-a, now known as Balagtas, hometown of Pedro. We stayed in the ancestral home of my husband for a few months. Later we moved back to Manila, where Pedro found a new job. He got tired of construction work, and wanted the old job he had, before the war. Pedro became an appraiser of the bank Rehabilitation Finance Corporation now known as Development Bank of the Philippines. I found a job as tutor for the two kids of my former classmate. I also taught English in the Chinese Republican School in Magdalena St. Binondo. Manila.  I was a close friend of the principal so that I was able to recommend my sister, Anita to teach the kindergarten class. However, after a year, she quitted her teaching job and married a young Chinese businessman, Charlie Chongson. On October 16, 1949 my fourth daughter, Rosario was born in the Atienza Maternity Hospital in Sampaloc, Manila. She had a very charming face. She got the slanting eyes of her Chinese relatives. Two months before my delivery, Pedro was transferred to Iloilo as the chief appraiser of the bank. Since I had a contract with the school I was teaching, I was left behind for six months before I could joined him in Iloilo. In 1950, when we were in Iloilo, I went back to school to finish my bachelor's degree. I graduated in Sagrado Corazon de Jesus College with a Bachelor of Science in Education. I took my master in Colegio de San Agustin. I applied as an underwriter of the Philippine American Life Insurance Co. owned by Earl Carroll, an American businessman in the Philippines.  In 1952, I was one of the top ten underwriters of the company and won a Tamarao award for the third highest producer of the year. My prize was a ten-day Hong Kong sojourn paid by the company. I did not go because my girls were still very young and could not be entrusted to anybody. The two girls were studying in Sagrado Corazon De Jesus. We rented a chalet close to the school. They walked to school by themselves. They were so independent and well- behaved. My eldest daughter, Cecilia kept an eye on her sister like a hawk. After two years, Pedro was promoted to a cashier in the Bacolod branch of DBP. [Development Bankof the Philippines] which was formerly the RFC[Rehabilitation Finance Corporation] .We decided to stay in the Park View Hotel, a prestigious hotel in Bacolod that time. We had two bedrooms close to the reception room, where the piano was located. Every evening after dinner, my daughter, Cecilia would come to the reception room to play the piano. Her favorite piece was "Claire De Lune" which was my favorite piece also. Transient guests of the hotel would gather in the lobby or reception room to hear her play classical music like Malaguena, and Volare. Afterwards the four girls would go to their bedroom to sleep. Boarding in this kind of hotel was a very exciting life. Everyday, when I came home from school, I encountered a famous person in the lobby or dining room. My daughters were more excited than I when it comes to actors and actresses. They asked autographs like what others were doing. My daughters were ten, eight, seven and five years old.  Oftentimes they were invited by the actresses to their rooms. It was 1955, I got so much time in my hands, I thought of opening a business. The time was ripe, when Bacolod was burned down. All the business buildings were destroyed around the market place. Immediately I opened a notion-grocery store closed to where we lived. I went to Manila to ask my father to help me started a business. He introduced me to his fellow businessmen and was given credit at once. When I went back to Bacolod, my husband surprised me with a beautiful newly painted store ready for occupancy. My godson, Pancho Uytiepo had reserved the space for his business but when he heard that I was looking for a place, he offered his own space. How lucky I was! At the beginning, there were lots of customers coming to the store. Some of the customers were curious and some became regulars.Finally, at the hotel, the girls got tired of the same gourmet food every day. They wanted to try something different, the simple dish I cooked for them, with lots of vegetables. We left the hotel for good. We found a house near the school that was just right for us. It was my best friend's house. Her name was Nena Macasa. I loved her dearly! We had been best of friends since high school. She took care of my kids when I wasn’t home. Pedro decided to build a house for us. We bought a lot near the airport. But he could not attend to the construction of our house, as he was busy with the assignment his office gave him. He had to go to Tacloban to remodel the branch office there, at the same time built a summer house for the chairman of the D.B.P.He was finishing the summer house when my youngest daughter became sick. She became weaker and paler everyday. She was diagnosed with acute leukemia. Pedro came back home and we rushed her to Manila. She was treated with blood transfusion for two weeks. She died on Sept.12, 1956 in Santo Tomas University Hospital at the age of seven. That summer before my daughter got sick we went to Manila for vacation. We stayed in my sister, Anita's cottage in Baclaran. It was near the beach. How the children loved the ocean! They swam everyday for two months. That was the same time the U.S. tested the atomic bomb in the Pacific Ocean. What a coincidence! Pedro finished our house near the airport and we moved there in 1957.It was a dream house made of glass and I loved it very much, but we did not stay there very long.  Another transfer was ready for Pedro. We were advised to sell our house as we were going to Cebu city. He was promoted to Assistant Manager of the bank. I love Cebu City. It was a medium size city compared to Manila and less polluted. It was an ideal place to live. In fact I was invited to be a member of the [Women International League].There was a quota for every member to accomplish every month. It kept me busy socializing with the influential women of Cebu city. My daughters were studying in different schools. Cecilia and Cynthia in Santa Theresa College in Cebu, and Melinda in Cebu Chinese School. In 1959, another promotion for Pedro, he was sent to Iloilo branch as Assistant Manager. We were like playing musical  chair but we were enjoying it. Here we were, back to Iloilo. We stayed in the Phil-Am-Life compound in Jaro, for a year. When the manager of the bank retired, Pedro became the acting manager. We transferred to the manager's residence. It was a prestigious place to live. We had two cars, one is our personal car Plymouth and the other was the manager's car Ford. We had a chauffeur to drive us. Pedro lent his car to our friend, a Polish Jesuit priest, who had a wonderful sense of humor. We called him Father Vincent. He enjoyed driving the car around the city whenever he could. But it didn’t last long. Pedro became the manager of the bank. He had to go to Mindanao to replace the manager in Ozamis City. I was in a dilemma of what to do with my life. We had no roots. We kept on moving around. The girls were still in different schools. Cecilia was in Santa Theresa College in Cebu, Melinda was in Philippine Women's College and Cynthia was in Colegio de San Jose, both in Jaro, Iloilo.They were all boarding in their respective schools for the whole year. At the end of the school year, I picked up each of them in their school to take them to Ozamis, Mindanao.

There, we were all together again. I invited my sister Emma to come with me to Ozamis.She was staying with Anita in Manila. I picked up my nephew Tito, the son of my brother, Alberto to come with us too. We had a lot of fun that summer. The manager's residence was spacious with lots of room and the ground was covered with Bermuda grass. There were guava trees around with fruits. Life was getting more interesting as the days passed by. I and my friends formed a club called Friday Club. There were six families that had teen-agers each. Every Friday, one family will give a party for the whole gang. The members were the parents and the teen-agers. Two rooms were required. One room for the parents and another for the teen-agers.  We had food and music each. I realized that both the parents and the children were benefited by this practice. The parents were more comfortable with their children near them than when they were out of the house. We had the chance to go around Mindanao during weekends. I took a lease from the Bureau of Land for a number of acres of ranch in Dumigag, Mindanao.I placed five cows and a bull to start with. I added some more cows as the time went by. I hired a school teacher to attend to my ranch as he was living close by. I bought a shotgun, flashlight, and a horse for my cowboy. I added buying things as the years went by. We rode horses whenever we could on the ranch. People asked me if I have a son to manage the ranch, my answer was no. I wanted to be a rancher.Ozamis City was a Christian community and no Filipino Muslims or Moros as they were called in the Philippines were found there. The city was just like any other city that you know. July 16, 1961 was the town fiesta of Ozamis City. My daughter, Melinda, 16 years old became Miss Ozamis city.  She was crowned by Mrs. Eugenia Puyat, wife of the oppositionist' candidate for president. We stayed in Ozamis from 1959-1962.Pedro was ready to retire but his boss wanted him to go back to Manila. I had lots of projects in Mindanao that were left unfinished. We all left Ozamis with a heavy heart. I had found friends I love so dearly.

We were back to Manila. My daughters were enrolled in St. Paul's College in Malate. We rented a newly built apartment in front of their school. I took boarders from the school to help augment our income. I enrolled in Ateneo University for a semester just to keep myself busy. My daughter, Cecilia turned 18 years old on July 3, 1962. She celebrated her debut in the International Airport in Baclaran with all our relatives. It was a huge success. That summer she was invited to become Club Sweetheart of the Bigaa Varsitarians in Bulacan.A year later, she graduated with honors from St.Paul's College. She got two degrees, Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Bachelor of Arts at the same time. Her dream was to go to the United States to work right after graduation. She had a boyfriend, Jun Manganaan who just graduated from Philippine Military Academy in Baguio City. Albeit they wanted to get married and go to the United States together, I had doubts about their relationship. Pedro took us to Cebu and we build our retirement home in San Jose de la Montana, Mabolo. It was a beautiful house and I was happy with it. My daughter, Ruby got married in Baguio city that year. The two girls continued their studies in San Carlos University until they graduated. Melinda got her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, and Cynthia with Bachelor of Science. On June 20, 1968, Pedro and I celebrated our silver wedding anniversary. My daughter, Cecilia came home to celebrate it with us. We all wore our gowns for the occasion and picture taking. After their graduation, Cynthia married William Chan, a Chinese student of Engineering in San Carlos University. They were married in Sacred Heart Church. A year later, Cecilia left for the United States. She landed a job in Accounting at Dames and Moores, an engineering firm who won the contract of building Disney World in Florida. Ever since the couple arrived in the States, Jun didn’t have a job. He just depended on the income of my daughter, Cecilia.  It didn't take long and they were divorced. Cecilia Ruby worked hard to have a better life in the States. In 1974, she was a Controller and the Plant Accountant of Roper Plastics at the same time. I was so proud of her. Pedro and I came to visit her in Dec. 22, 1970. She had an accident, hit by the car while crossing the street in Los Angeles. She had a broken pelvic bone. While I was visiting her in the states, I took the chance of working in the Jerry Mann Manufacturing Company in Olive st.Los Angeles. I worked in the Accounting Dept. as a clerk. Pedro went back home to the Philippines as we had a taxi business in Cebu and nobody is attending to it. After a year in 1973, Martial Law was declared by Pres. Marcos, our President in the Philippines. Life was getting volatile and the people were getting restless. I went home to the Philippines in August, 1973. I left my daughter here in the States with a boyfriend, Ben Hinojosa who wanted to marry her. They got married after I left. A year later, in Dec 22, 1974, I got a phone call from Ben that my daughter, Ruby had died of Amniotic Fluid Embolism, in Santa Monica Medical Center where she was supposed to deliver her baby. How and why that happened, I don't know.

Immediately, I prepared my papers and things to come back and bury my dearest one. When I arrived in Los Angeles I had no daughter to pick me up at the airport, only strangers. What a calamity and shock I had. Her sisters, Melinda and Cynthia had not seen her since she came home to visit the family in Cebu before she left for the United States. It was the saddest moment for us. Pedro, who was in Cebu, decided to come back to the States, sold the franchise and all our taxis to the highest bidder. He sold our house to Henry Chong, the brother-in-law of Anita. Before Pedro left the Philippines, Bernardo Paez, an accountant of the City Bank of New York in Cebu asked for the hand of my daughter, Melinda for marriage. On May, 24, 1976, Bernie and Linda were married in Cebu City. The newly married couple went on their honeymoon to Europe and the United States. They visited us here in Torrance in August 7, 1976. Pedro was very happy to see them. He took them around the city of Torrance and also Los Angeles. We had a business, Amway that kept Pedro busy. I was also working in G.N.C. [General Nutrition Center] in Del Amo Mall, part-time.I still had time to do my Avon work in the evening. One Sunday Sept.8, 1976 I was working in the Mall, Pedro drove Melinda and Bernie to Anza St. in Torrance, Pedro's car was hit by another car driven by a lady whose tires were out of control. I was so sorry for Pedro.

The lady apologized to Pedro for her error. Pedro thought that he was o.k. that only the car was damaged but he was wrong!  The next evening, we went out to have a dinner in Ding How,  with a friend, Netta Sink. When we got home, he complained of chest pain. He had a heart attack. We called the ambulance and took him to Little Company of Mary Hospital where he passed away at ten o'clock that night. Can anybody explain why this is happening to me? This is my life and I had to carry on. We planned to bury Pedro next to my daughter, Cecilia.On the eve of the burial, we went to the airport to pick up a cousin of Pedro, Crispina Puatu, who just arrived from Canada to attend the funeral. On the way home, our car was sideswiped by a drug addict teen-ager.Melinda and Bernie were unscathed. I had broken ribs and shoulder. Crispina  got the same fracture. Both of us were rushed to the Harbor General Hospital. We were not able to attend the funeral of Pedro the next day. With grief and pain, I was sedated almost everyday in the hospital for two weeks. I didn’t realized I was in the hospital that long until Crispina bade goodbye, that she could go back to Canada now and so the next day, she took the plane home. Two weeks after Pedro's death, Melinda informed me that she was pregnant with her first baby, Clifford.We rented a two bedroom apartment in Emerald St. in Torrance. I bought a small Baldwin piano to ease the pain of grieving. In 1978, I started to go out with friends. Every day I went to Jack Lalaine Spa in Hawthorne to exercise and swim. I used the different machines like treadmill which helped the circulation on my legs. I used the hot and steam bath after my exercise. It made me feel good. I worked in the City Hall of Torrance as a bookkeeper in the Accounting office for one year. In 1979, I transferred to Sierra Electric in Gardena for two years. I left my job in Gardena, when the company started to use the computer. My eyes could not stand the glare from the screen, I had to rest my eyes every now and then. In 1980, I started going out to dances with my friend, Doris Higa, whom I met in the Spa. She encouraged me to go out with her to the dance in Sunset Blvd in Hollywood on Sundays. She said it was good for my health and body. It took months for me to say yes. I was in a quandary and dilemma as I had never gone to the dance without an escort before. She assured me it was o.k. for ladies to go out by themselves to the dance without a chaperon or escort here in United States. At this time, I was driving a Rotary Engine Mazda. I was working in Bergen Brunswick in Wilmington. I met Mike Segal at the Mayflower Dance hall in 1979. He was a very good dancer and was a hit on the dance floor with the ladies. His height was very obvious as he was 6'0".He was a teacher in El Segundo High School. He was divorced with three sons. He had a house in Manhattan Beach. He was a very persuasive, persistent, and aggressive man. He was highly intelligent. His family was Jewish and closely-knitted. His pastime was playing racquetball and squash. He always beats the other guy. But he was not my type. At home Melinda's family was growing .By now, she had three boys in a row. Clifford was now 3 years old, Stanley was 2 years old, and Warren was one year old. The three brothers were close to each other. I’ve never seen them fighting. They were well-behaved children. I’m very proud of them.  I've decided to buy a house in Torrance. We liked it here than any place else. The weather was perfect and the schools were very good. I paid the down-payment of the house in Del Amo Blvd. I stayed with Melinda for one year. One day the telephone rang, my sister Cecilia was on the line. She was staying in her son's house in Maryland. She told me she was not happy there with Edmund's kids. I invited her to come to California. We were both widowed and this was the first time in our married lives we were together. I was working daytime and going to school at night. Emma arrived from the Philippines in 1979.She stayed with us for a while, then moved with Delfin in Long Beach. She worked for a while and later got married to Victor Segre. In Sept, 1980, I bought a mobile home and moved in right away with Cecilia until her family arrived from the Philippines. To keep ourselves busy, Cecilia and I went to dances twice a week. I had a part-time job, working in a health food store called GNC [General Nutrition Company.]

We enjoyed going out with dates. In August 9, 1981, I met the man of my life, Don Avey in a time-share party for teachers of the South Bay. It was in the Lobster House in Redondo Beach. He came alone and sat on the same table in front of me. He introduced himself and the conversation started. He didn’t say much. I never expected to see him again, but I knew that I was attracted to him. He had a sense of humor, very friendly, kind and decent man. The next day I called him on the phone, and he answered right away. I was glad he was home or I wouldn't dare called him again. That started our friendship that last fourteen years of courtship and ten years of marriage. We had a wonderful relationship. He was the kind of man I was looking for. He was terribly romantic! A family-oriented man!  When I met Don, he was teaching in the fourth grade in the Alta Vista School in Redondo Beach. He was a widower with two sons, Daryl and Randy. He was living alone in The Village near the pier. Every Sunday, the family met in a certain restaurant for breakfast, to talk about what was going on with their lives. Daryl was working with the Mobile Gas Co, and with his wife, Kathie, lived with their daughter, Amber in Miraleste Compound while Randy was finishing his studies at CSULB, and was living in the next apartment to his dad. Don biked around the pier for exercise.

In 1982, Don invited me to Hawaii for a two weeks vacation. We took Aloha Airlines to Oahu and stayed for a few days in Outrigger Hotel in Waikiki Beach. We took a pedicab ride in Honolulu and Waikiki. We spent the whole day in the Polynesian Cultural Center. Randy had a condo for rent in North Kona, Big Island. Since it was vacant when we were there, we stayed in that condo for a few days. It was so close to the beach and had a swimming pool in the backyard. There were free buses in Kona from where we stayed to downtown. One day we hired a car to take us around big island. We stayed in Hilo for one night and drove back to Kona the following day. The place was beautiful indeed especially at night. It was raining everyday in Hilo and you could see orchids galore everywhere on the side of the mountain. Volcanic lavas were thick on different parts of the island. It was nice to fantasize that you were living there.  Don and I enjoyed our stay immensely especially when we saw the Kaimu black sand beach and heard Don Ho sang authentic Hawaiian songs at the Hilton Hotel. That’s where I met Danny Allen, the nephew of Don. He was working as a photographer at the Hilton Hotel as a summer job. He was studying medicine at UCLA. In August1983, We hit the road to Yellowstone National Park. Don got a new vehicle, a Nissan truck with shell and had it painted beautifully. We took it on the road. The first night, we were in the Colorado River close to London Bridge in Lake Havasu, Arizona.There were lots of mosquitoes around that night. I didn’t sleep a wink. The next day, we were in Grand Canyon, Arizona.It was the most awesome place I've ever seen. The beauty was incredible. I’ve spent hours looking at the different colors of the rocks as the sun goes down. We talked with the Rangers and asked questions about the Grand Canyon. We were very careful not to leave any food inside the truck as there were black bears around. We stayed another day and night, and continued our trip to Chicago. We stopped at Flagstaff to eat hot food in a Chinese restaurant. I stayed with my sister-in- law, Esther, in Bloomingdale, Illinois, for a few days while Don visited his parents in Cincinnati, Ohio. That was the first and last visit of Don to his parents since I've known him. After a few days, he picked me up at Esther's place and we proceeded to Chicago. We visited the Sears Tower and continued our trip to Missouri Botanical Garden where I saw rare plants and flowers that I haven’t seen before. We stayed in the K.O.A campground for the first time. There were lots of facilities in the KOA that made us enjoyed our stay that night. We passed several cities but we didn’t stop unless it was necessary. We reached the Yellowstone National Park that day while it was raining very hard. We looked for a place to stay. Standing on the bridge I could see the water of the river so clear that I could see the different fishes underneath. Wild animals like wolves, bisons, elks and deer were seen at a far distance. We spent some time in Old Faithful and the upper geyser basin .There were more people in that area than anywhere else. The smell of sulfur was very dominant in some areas around. There was always something to learn from the Rangers who gave information to people. On our way back home, we passed states like Montana, Utah, Nevada, Arizona and before long, California.It was a long trip. It felt like you've gone around the world. At this time I was teaching in 232'nd St.Elementary School as a teacher assistant. Since Don and I were both working, weekends were the only time we saw each other. We always had plans for the weekends. going to concerts,movies,sports events,beaches,libraries,and golf tournaments. I was a member of our Filipino society the Antique Association of Southern California. We had activities every four months. A dinner dance in the fall, a picnic in summer, a sojourn in a nearby place in spring, and a Christmas party for the whole family. Don and I were living in separate places. I had my mobile home in Torrance, and he lived somewhere else. When I first met him, he was living in The Village, near the pier in Redondo Beach. He moved to Palos Verdes Estate when he retired from teaching. He tried living in the house in Avenue A, the one he bought with Randy and Keith. Meanwhile, he wanted to move to Palm Spring. He loved it there. We kept traveling to different places and foreign countries. Like in May, 1991We went home to the Philippines.  We went island -hopping. We visited Boracay, hailed as one of the gorgeous beaches in the world. It lies proudly at the center of the Philippines, only 75 min away from Manila by air. Cebu was the island we visited most. I used to live there before we moved to the U.S. Don enjoyed the fruits that are tropical like mangoes, guavas, lanzones, guavanos, jackfruit etc.In March-April,1992,We  took a  Mexican Baja Cruise with the Viking  Serenade of  the Royal Caribbean. It was my first experience of cruising a luxury liner. After dinner, we danced and watched the variety shows every night. At daytime, we toured San Diego, Catalina Island, and Ensenada "Mexican seaport”. Don loves Jazz. We  attended a Jazz Jubilee in Sacramento in May22-25,1992. In May 29-31, we went to Ojai festival. It was a beautiful place, on top of Santa Barbara. On Dec.3, 1992, my daughter, Melinda invited me and Cecilia to Hawaii. She brought Warren with her, Cecilia brought Bongbong too. We stayed in the Coral Reef Hotel in Waikiki. Every morning we were at the beach where lots of entertainment activities were going on. We joined the other hotel guests to the Paradise Cove Luau Village, known for the best fun, food, and entertainment you don't see anywhere else. We went around Oahu in a tour bus.Dec.7; I and Cecilia flew to Maui to see the splendor of the famous rainbow. I took the picture of the rainbow myself for souvenir. I found out I have a tocaya in Hawaii.Nene is the name of the Hawaiian goose. It is also their State bird. The huge Banyan tree in Lalaina is stupendous.

Don and I used to attend the International Jazz Festival in San Diego, every Thanksgiving week. The Labor Day Jazz in the Marriott Hotel at LAX was our favorite rendesvous.Don loves to travel everywhere .We visited places like the Olympic Peninsula, the Lake Crescent Lodge, Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge, Sequim,[ the Spit] and Port Angeles, Washington. His favorite hobby was joining the Elderhostel classes around the country. He had attended so many classes, I can't remember all but I could remember the ones I was with him. In April 25-30, 1993, we joined the Elderhostel in the Music and Arts School [Isomata] in Idylwild, California.We studied Jazz, Tap, and Modern dance. Our instructors were Ben Lokey, Dawn Stoppiello and Carol Segrave, coordinator.I remembered our sojourn to Europe in Sept.1993.It was a 27 days tour of 10 European countries....England, Holland, Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Italy, Monaco, Spain, and France. The highlights of our tour were visiting Vienna,Venice,theGrand Canal,St.Marks Square,St.Peters Basilica, Tivoli, Eiffel Tower,Louvre, Notre Dame Cathedral, Nice, Monte Carlo, Cannes, Barcelona,Zaragosa,Madrid,Segovia,Versailles, Big Ben, Windsor Castle and Westminster Abbey. In July, 1994, we took the ship, Discovery to Bahamas. We started at Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Lucayan Beach Resort in Freeport. There were not many activities anywhere, but we enjoyed the Raegee music. It was Dec.10, 1994; we were in Poway, San Diego visiting Randy and Linda, when Don invited me to the Coronado Hotel. We had been there several times before and we had even stayed overnight just to get the kick of it. We decided to go there. We were both in high spirit that day. We had a dinner at the Crown Room that night. The room was very elegant and the food was sumptuous. It was an experience to remember. There was music coming from the lobby, and we were taking our after- dinner beverages, when Don proposed marriage to me without the ring. Twice in the past fourteen years, he did it, but I was not ready then. I thought this was it! It was the happiest night for both of us. For some business transactions, I had to go to the Philippines. We left on Jan.24, 1995. Don came along with me. It must be his fifth visit. This time we planned to see more islands. We took the Philippine Airlines so we could get a package deal for island- hopping. From Manila, Iloilo, Antique, Roxas City, Cebu and back to Manila. Don took it in stride. We visited all my relatives and friends in every place we went. In CebuCity, We stayed in my friend Mildred Miller's house, till Valentines Day, Feb.14, and 1995.We decided to spend the night at Sangrila Resort in Mactan Island. It was the most fabulous hotel and resort in the whole country. Mildred took us there in her car. As soon as we entered our room Don took the ring from his pocket and knelt down to put the ring on my finger, in front of my two best friends, Mildred and Julie. What a surprise! After that we had a lunch in the fabulous dining room of the hotel. On May 7-13, 1995, we had an Elderhostel Class at Centrum in Fort Wolden State Park in Port Townsend, Washington. Our subjects were Forests, Mountains, Sea and Northwest Washington's unique Natural Diversity, The Post-Soviet Mind, an Insider's View. In the afternoon we went sea kayaking for twenty eight dollars each on the Puget Sound. It was the most thrilling experience I've ever had. There were two people in each kayak. There were twelve of us in a group, so six kayaks were brought out. We all went out together, but some kayaks were faster and were getting farther from us.  There were different sights to see, like eagles, sea-lions, orca whales etc.We had to row faster than ever as we were left behind by our companions. That rowing gave us a very good night sleep. It was also the highlight of our stay in Centrum. We visited my cousin, Crispina who lives in Wodbey Island closeby.On July25-31, 1995, we attended another Elderhostel in Marianist Center in Cupertino, and California.This is close to San Francisco. It was a retreat and conference center for the people of the bay area. Our classes were Oigong, the Essence of Chinese Health Master by Ron Lew.Massage and Body Spirituality by Fr.Joe Bravo. We learned from Fr. Bravo the different kinds of massage;   facial massage, foot massage, hands massage, and shoulder-neck massage. We learned about different chakras like crown chakra, throat chakra, solar plexus chakra, root or base chakra, brow chakra, heart chakra, and navel chakra. We understood how to activate the body's seven main energy centers. Much more, we learned to celebrate our body! We had a new discovery about ourselves.

Enough of spirituality! On Aug.6-12, 1995.We decided to go to Arizona to attend an Elderhostel in   the Yavapai College, in Prescott, a historic mile high city, nestled in the pine-covered Bradshaw Mountains. It is 100 miles north of Phoenix [capital] of Arizona. What attracted me to the place were historic sites, museum and outdoor recreational opportunities including several spectacular sites. The highlights of our study in the Yavapai College were the geology, ecology, and human history of Grand Canyon. We studied every thing about it. We saw the beauty and grandeur of the Grand Canyon in IMAX Theater. The last three days, we took a field trip to Grand Canyon. We left Prescott at seven o'clock in the morning and reached Grand Canyon caverns at eight- thirty.

We put our belongings inside a water-proof bag and took our place in a rubber boat that took us thru the rapids of the Colorado River. This experience of white water rafting on the Colorado River in Grand Canyon is the chance of a lifetime. We camped at a certain place in the canyon and had a hot meal prepared by the Hopi Indian employees of the college. We had a nature walk with our instructor, MikeYoung.We climbed the rocks and showered under the waterfalls. We had a great time. All of us brought a sleeping bag each. We slept close to each other under the sky. One of the girls wrote this poem: "I have to go before I sleep I tuka P.The Colorado is wide and deep I tuka P" They distributed the copies to everyone. We all laughed. We really had a great time. The full moon was lighting the whole place. The magnificent view was awesome! I was lucky to witness the whole thing. When I woke up the next morning, the breakfast table was full of hot food and fruits prepared by the Hopi Indian employees again.   We could see the splendor and majesty of the Grand Canyon that night. On the beach, the class hiked up to three miles over steep terrain. We rode the raft back to Pierce landing. It was terribly hot in that area. We checked in at the Caverns Inn for the night. We had barbeque dinner and closing program from 6:30-8:00.The next morning, we had breakfast at 7:30.Check-out at 10:00.

The next year, June 10-16, 1996, we went to San Francisco to attend an   Elderhostel class in U.C. Berkeley. We stayed in International House, at Piedmont Avenue. Berkeley is a study in contrasts. It is a small town with a big-city character. With its world-renowned university, global population and rich diversity of cultural arts, Berkeley reflects and affects the rest of the country. Our subjects were: Emerging Democracies in Asia by Edith Coliver, our instructor.

From Tibetan to American Buddhism and Beyond, by Gabriel Audant.Foreign Policies of the U.S.by Leslie Lipson, a professor emeritus of political science at U.C.Berkeley.One week later, on June     23-29,1996 we hit the road to British Columbia, where we took classes in Victoria University. Our morning class was all about the great masterpieces of Music. We studied Mozart, Beethoven, Liszt, Bach, Handel, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, and Debussy.  In the afternoon, we had" Between the Tides”, composed of lectures field trips and laboratory work. We learned to write short stories. Our free day was spent in Butchart Garden, a beautiful place with all kinds of plants and flowers galore. It was a unique place indeed! That described the city of Victoria itself.  It was a paradise on earth! It had the atmosphere of London with the red double-deck buses. Two years later, we went down to San Diego to attend the Elderhostel at the San Diego State University from Aug.23-28, 1998. Our subjects were" Splendid Art of Opera, Music of the Masters, In Shakespeare's Shoes, Whatever Lola Wants.” I like the classical music of the Masters best. On our free time we had a harbor cruise and a visit to the Museum of Arts. We had been to San Diego several times but there was always something new. That was the last of our Elderhostel Experience.

It is unbelievable that Don was able to see my country and my people, before we got married. On Oct.20, 1995, we finally made it at Maluaka Park, in Maui. It was one of the most beautiful places I ever saw. We ordered a minister, photographer, singer with a guitar, and leis for the ceremony. All our children were present except my youngest daughter, Cynthia, who was in the Philippines. Erica was our flower girl. It was a solemn affair in a serene atmosphere along the beach. We saw a great tortoise coming out of the sea. It was a sign of good luck they say. We had a toast right after the ceremony and went directly to a prestigious restaurant in Lalaina for the reception. The kids were sent back to the hotel with a babysitter. Don and I went flight- seeing Maui the next morning in the helicopter. I was 75 and Don Was73 years old. We flew over Haleakala Volcanic Crater, a small town of Paia a small place in the west of Maui. Bernie and Melinda had a scenic drive to Hana.The following day, the four of us went to attend a Hawaiian luau; to enjoy the celebration of aloha in traditional Hawaiian way. The fourth day, we hired a boat for snorkeling at Molokini.Since kids were not allowed Randy and Linda did not come. Our excursion departed Maalaea Harbor for a five hour cruise exactly at eight a.m.The place was peaceful and calm. Melinda and Bernie joined us too. The next day, we were all invited by Randy and Linda to their hotel for a barbecue. Guerin had a good sunbath that day. Randy also invited his dad and me to join his family for a snorkeling party at the Kaanapoli Beach which was close to their hotel. It was a little windy that day. I was engrossed in watching the beautiful colored fishes under the water that I was carried away into the ocean by the wind. When I realized what happened I shouted and Randy came and brought me back to the shore. It was a terrifying experience for me. Everything was fine again, when I and Guerin went horse-back riding, while Don and Daryl joined the bicycle safaris, a mid-day tour 38 miles of downhill, only 400 yards of pedaling from the summit to the sea. The bikers coasted through lava fields and the National Park.However, It was too much for Don. He didn’t felt good the following day, yet Guerin and Daryl, who were staying with us in the condo, took us to a nearby restaurant to have our last meal together with them before we embarked home to Torrance. Two weeks later, in Nov.4, 1995, Randy and Linda gave us a wedding reception in their house in Poway, San Diego. Most of our relatives came. The two Avey brothers Randy and Daryl, their cousin, Danny Allen, Mr. and Mrs. Greg Block with their guitars furnished the music. It was one of the most memorable events in my life. On our first wedding anniversary we went on an adventure of Rail and Sea to New Orleans, Caribbean, and Mystic Yucatan. The trip was sponsored by Xpo America. From Los Angeles we rode the Amtrak Superliner called Sunset Limited to New Orleans. We had a gala reception and dinner in Los Angeles before boarding the train. There was a Mariachi band playing throughout the evening and following us to the station. It was an exciting experience. We had delicious meals on the train. We stayed in Chateau Sonesta Hotel in New Orleans. It was within easy walking distance of world famous restaurants and entertainment casino gaming, the central business district and convention center. We were just steps away from all the life and excitement of the famous French Quarter. We dined in Mr. B'sBistro in Royal Street where the best Creole cuisine and gumbo were found. In fact, we were in the perfect spot to experience everything New Orleans has to offer, like Jazz in Bourbon Street.

On Oct.19, 1996. We boarded Enchanted Isle from New Orleans to Tulum, Yucatan to witness the history and culture of the native Indians of the Yucatan valley. The next day was our first wedding anniversary, Oct.20, 1996. The ship docked at Playa del Carmen, Mexico.There was not much to see in the town so we stayed in the ship. Somebody played the Macarena and all the folks around danced. We had a great time. In the afternoon, we went to the upper deck for the spiritual ceremony of the people who wanted to renew their marriage vow. A minister performed the ceremony and we participated. There were all kinds of participants, some in their wedding gowns and tuxedos, others in their shorts. They all came in their best attire. That was the first experience we had with our first year anniversary. Meantime I took my regular exercise in the gym. Don walked around the ship. We rested and got ready for the Mardi Gras that night. After dinner they passed around the masks. People started coming in costume and joined in. The next morning we were in Cozumel, Mexico.Young people went scuba-diving and snorkeling. The next stop was the Grand Cayman, formerly a British Colony. There was a bank in every corner of the town. The next day we were in Montego Bay, Jamaica."No Problem” was the expression commonly used by the inhabitants of that place. I bought and wore a cap worn by the natives, knitted of different colors red, black, yellow and green. I gave it to my grandson, Clifford when I arrived home.  We went rafting--a long bamboo pool with a seat at the middle of the raft. Only two persons could sit on it and a man maneuvering the raft. We had seen it all. The following day, we were back to New Orleans. That night we went to see and hear Pete Fountain in the Hilton Hotel, the man calling the tune, Dixie.Pure D. Swinging Dixie! I was overjoyed by the trip and wanted more and more!

In Sept.11-21, 1999, we took a tour of China. We landed in Beijing, the capital of China. We were met by a Chinese lady tour guide at the airport. She speaks good English. She took us around the city and showed us the Great Wall of China and the Forbidden City in one day. The magnificent Hall of Supreme Harmony is something to marvel about. There were more than one million artifacts in the Forbidden City alone. We saw local Sani people on the street dressed in colorful traditional garb, performing folk dances and music. The Great Wall was extraordinary and wonderful. We tried to climb as far as we could. People were exercising doing Tai chi, martial arts or dancing in the park around the city. Thousands of bikers were going to work.       We flew to Guilin the next day. It was a contrast to the city.Guilin was a serene country side with the magical landscape of mist shrouded peaks on the Li River. We had a boat ride the next day. We saw Chinese fishermen cleaning their boats for another fishing trip. The clever fisherman on the renowned Li River caught piles of fish without ever using a pole or net. For centuries, fisherman  have carefully trained cormorant birds, known for their speed and fishing skills,  to dive into the clear waters and come up with silvery fish in their beaks. Twine wrapped around their necks keeps the birds from eating their catch until they were fed when the day's work was done. Now we were ready for Xian, the home of the Terra Cota warriors. In 1974, peasants digging a well in the countryside outside the city of Xian unearthed extraordinary life-size sculptures of horses and warriors. Measuring 5'10"tall their faces carved with unique expressions the warriors were found with actual bronze weapons dating from 250 BC.In additions to displays of all 7,000 soldiers, there was also a stunning bronze chariot with a curved canopy and gold and silver harness, containing four horses and a driver, which was found in the emperors tomb. Our next destination was Suzhou, which was known for its Grand Canal and beautiful ancient garden. We rode the train to Suzhou and back. Of so many places I had been, I felt safe in Suzhou.We flew this morning from Xian to Shanghai, the most prosperous city. Before the war, it was known as the International City of China. Most foreigners stayed at the Bund, once known as the Wall Street of Asia. The atmosphere was like that of any big city in the world. I made some last minute shopping at the Friendship Commissary. After buying all the gifts for my favorite people at home, I bought one pearl necklace for myself and a set of mahjong for leisure. When we reached home, we got a beautiful invitation from Randy and Linda to celebrate the Millennium with them in Bethesda. It was a big surprise and honor for me. The invitation was beautiful and special. The affair turns out to be formal. Men were all in tuxedos and Women in their formal attire. The food was sumptuous, the music uplifting, the conversation interesting plus the laughter more often. We had Caro and Phil Bahnson, the sister-in-law and brother of Linda as honored guests.Truly, I’ll vote for Randy and Linda the best host and hostess of the Millenium! Just one week after the Millennium another invitation came. A celebration of the seventy-fifth birthday of my cousin,Fely Puatu Rivera to be held at the Main Ballroom of the Vancouver Airport Hilton on Jan.29,2000.There was dinner and dance. Lots of the family and relatives came from different parts of the country. There was a variety show during the dinner. Most participants were members of the family. They were professional or gifted ballet dancer, singer or guitar player.

It was a rousing success. The dance went on till the wee hours of the morning.Today, June 20, 2005, I am 85years old and in the sunset of my life. Looking back, I had a beautiful and happy life. I had lots to thank for. My two daughters Melinda and Cynthia, and their respective families: Melinda’s husband, Bernie Paez, sons; Clifford, 28 Stanley, 27 and Warren 26.  Cynthia had two daughters; Ruby and Anabelle.They are both married with children: Ruby has Erica, one year old; Anabelle has Miguel 5 years old and Bianca 7 months old to sum it up. I have 2 daughters, 3 grandsons, 2 granddaughters, 1 great-grandson, and 2 great-granddaughters. Both of my parents are dead and 6 siblings left, namely; Cecilia 87, Anita78, Nena76, Joseph75, Emma71 and Romeo 70.I like to talk about Don's family. They are the most beautiful family I ever known in my life. Daryl is the oldest son and has two sons with his wife, Guerin Butterworth, who is a lawyer by profession, namely; Bryce, 14years old, and Blaze, 10 years old. Amber is the daughter of Daryl with his first wife, Kathie.They are wonderful kids. Randy, the younger son has two sons namely; Ethan, 18 years old, and Alex, 13 years old. Erica is the twin sister of Alex, 13 years old too. Linda Bahnson is the wife of Randy and a perfect wife and mother of the children. Don is blessed with this family, and it is to his credit as a good father himself.