Loida Santos Lim

Loida Santos Lim was born on April 28, 1935 in Marikina, Philippines. She was the fifth of ten children of Bernardo and Margarita Santos. Being born at home, and having a father that was consistently called to minister to others about God while on the way to the city hall, her birth was not legally registered until May 18, 1935. Loida lived a simple life as the daughter of a shoemaker and mother that stayed at home. Her childhood memories included selling food made by her family to her classmates at school, washing clothes in the Marikina River, studying by candlelight, and faithfully going to Marikina United Methodist Church, which was just a few buildings away from her home.

In 1954, Loida was fortunate to have been accepted to attend the Philippine Christian University - Mary Johnston College of Nursing in Tondo, Philippines. She was very proud of this accomplishment and cherished the close friendships that she made while there. She kept in touch with her classmates over 60 years attending reunions when she was able.

In 1960, Loida had the opportunity to work in a mission hospital run by the Chinese Catholic Church on the island of Borneo. Despite never having traveled farther than the area surrounding Manila, she rode on an airplane for the first time to Borneo. In order to get to the village of Kapit, in the state of Sarawak, she boarded a long boat and rode down the river into the jungle. During her two years working at the mission hospital, she took care of the Iban people (the indigenous people of the area), saw various jungle animals such as pythons, cobras, primates, wild cats, and crocodiles, and became friends with many of the missionaries that came to serve at the hospital.

In 1962, Loida bravely left her home for an opportunity to go overseas and work so that she could help provide for her family. She was part of an Exchange Visitor Program that brought her to Rochester, Minnesota to work at the Methodist Hospital, which was affiliated with the Mayo Clinic. She went from the warm tropics and learned to endure some of the coldest winters anyone could ever experience. While working at the Methodist Hospital, Loida reconnected with her future husband, Felipe. Loida and Felipe knew each other through friends in the Philippines when they were both working at the hospital in Tondo. Felipe’s niece, Alice Aragones, was also part of the group of nurses that came from the Philippines. Loida and the other nurses experienced midwestern hospitality through the various patients that they met. One couple was Jim and Mildred Purvis. They would come to Rochester from Knapp, Wisconsin and bring Loida and her friend, Fely, to stay at their house. While there, they experienced delivering mail with Jim, watching ice hockey, seeing a high school football game, and getting to know their daughter, Marcia (Dee Dee). This friendship would extend over the years, from Wisconsin to life in Arizona until the deaths of the Purvises.

After Loida’s time working at Methodist Hospital, it was time to decide on the next adventure - go back to the Philippines or brave the winters of Canada. She and some of the nurses chose Canada, Winnipeg to be exact. Felipe also went to Canada. There they started dating and made many friends at the hospital.

Loida married Felipe in Phoenix, Arizona in an intimate wedding on April 6, 1968. They had three children - Felida, Philip (Jay Jay), and Lily. As Loida raised the children, she taught herself many skills. She learned to sew, do crossstitch, crochet, can vegetables, and bake many delicious breads and desserts. In 1981 she took the NCLEX so that she could practice nursing again. She worked during the night shift as a nurse in the new baby nursery at Maricopa Medical Center so that she could be home during the day when the children were home from school.

Loida was known for her kind spirit, beautiful voice, and good cooking. She volunteered alongside her husband through church or at events in the Filipino community. She was often asked to sing the national anthems at the Filipino Club of Arizona’s events, sang in the church choir, and could be counted on to sing older Filipino love songs at family parties. For years, she was proud to host an annual breakfast for her friends from work where she made every dish from scratch and baked goodies for days prior to the event. She always made sure that there was food in the home for her children’s friends to eat after school, often making casseroles or baking fresh bread just for them.

Loida was a very loving mother and grandmother. She was proud of her children and their accomplishments, and she supported them in whatever they chose to do. She worked tirelessly to make a good home for her family. She read her bible every day and strived to be a good role model. She was humble and chose to live in a way that exemplified and honored God. The biggest gifts that she left behind are the gift of her faith and love for Jesus Christ.

Loida is preceded in death by her husband, Felipe, just 9 months previous; parents, Bernardo and Margarita Santos; brothers, Nathan, David, Abner, Solomon, and Daniel; and sisters, Deborah and Ruth. She is survived by her children, Felida (Matthew) Ashley; Philip (Rosalyn) LIm; and Lillian (Gil) Valmidiano; grandchildren, Nico and Mia; sisters, Rebecca and Miriam; and dozens of nieces and nephews.