Marcelo “Celo” Panganiban went away to be with the Lord on Wednesday, July 8, 2020. He was 88. Funeral services will be held on July 31 between 10am to 2pm, at Glen Abbey’s Little Chapel of the Roses in Bonita, California.
Tatay Celo was born on February 19, 1932, in Laguna, Philippines, to Pedro and Mercedes Panganiban, as the third of six children. He was a gifted auto-mechanic and an all-around handy-man. He married Jovita Rivera in 1954 in Manila, Philippines. Their union produced six children, Ferdy, Nilda, Anabel, Tom, Merced, and Chris. In 1980, he immigrated to the United States with his family; and worked for the MAAC Project, one of San Diego Gas and Electric’s low income Home Energy Assistance Programs. At the time of his retirement, he had supervised and mentored dozens of future home insulation specialists.
In 1990, he married Nanay Tessie, whom he happily spent his golden years with. Together, they became second parents to their apos (Javi and Jennifer) when mom and dad (Merced and Jaime) were at work.
During his retirement years, he enjoyed DIY home improvement projects, tennis, cruising, and gardening. His green thumb blessed his family and friends with an endless supply of fresh organic produce, which he expertly grew in his garden.
He was a remarkable, hardworking, generous man who took great pride in the large family he built. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Jovita; his children, Ferdy and Anabel, his cherished granddaughter, Jennifer, and his great-grandson, Elias Jay. He is survived by his beloved wife, Tessie; his children, Nilda (Archie) Carlos, Tom (Ochie) Panganiban, Merced (Jaime) Pitiquen, Chris Panganiban, and Marita (Jerome) Alindayu; his grandchildren, Grace, Gail, Gwen, Gina, JR, Trisha, Sandy, Pio “Pope”, Yasmin “Dindin”, Thea “Nikka”, Christopher, Junjun, Michael, Michelle, Aaron, Andrei, Allen, Adriun, and Javi; and many great-grandchildren.
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