Trinidad P. Torralba

Trinidad Paguirigan Torralba (lovingly called Trining) passed away at the age of 96 on Christmas Day, Friday, December 25, 2015 in San Diego, CA surrounded by her family. She was born on September 19, 1919 in Cabua-an Este, Balaoan, La Union, Philippines to Nicolas Paguirigan and Catalina Navalta. She is the third of five siblings: Asuncion, Segundina, Natividad, and Pedro. She married the love of her life, Juan Torralba from Pantar Norte, Balaoan on January 22, 1949, spending 49 years together until his death on April 7, 1998. They were blessed with a fruitful family:

Children: Estrella “Ester”, Lina, Amadeo “Popoy”, Thelma, Rafael “Paeng”

Son-in-Laws: Benjamin Orallo, Fred Ordono, Pedro Pajarit

Daughter-in-Laws: Jocelyn Ganapin Torralba, Marilou Directo Torralba

Grandchildren: Ronald and wife Jennifer Orallo, Lorraine and husband Timothy Iverson, Maricar, Jane, Marlon, Melissa, Darrel, Katherine, Richard, Michael, Christine-Ann

Great-Grandchildren: Alexander, Jasmynn, Amara, Bela, Nathaniel, Brian, Cedric, Ethan, Derek, Eli

Trining began her studies in Balaoan Elementary School and received her high school diploma at Balaoan Institute, now called Osias Colleges.

As World War II began in the Pacific, she was forced to flee National University of Manila along with other students to return to the provinces by foot, a 200 mile trek for her. Fortunately, she was one of the lucky passengers able to squeeze into the last bus out of Manila and was met by her brother, Pedro, in Balaoan Plaza. After four years successfully evading capture, she returned to the university and earned her Bachelor of Science in Education.

Her first assignment as a teacher was at Duplas, Sudipen, La Union, and continued her career teaching in various elementary schools at Paraoir, Sinapangan, and Pantar Norte for several decades. At a time when school nurses were not standard faculty members, she was proud to be appointed as a First Aid Teacher.

After her retirement in 1982, she immigrated to the United States under the petition of her husband and reunited with her eldest daughter, Estrella and family, in San Francisco. They relocated to San Diego in 1984, enjoying her retirement years with her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

She instilled in her children the importance and value of an education and provided the assistance they needed to complete their university degrees. She was able to enjoy and witness the high school graduations of all her grandchildren, including some college and university graduations.

Her leisure activities included sewing and gardening while also preserving memories through scrapbooks, framing pictures, and writing in her journals. She also collected and wrote down many proverbs, sayings, and words of wisdom relevant to her values and beliefs.

Trining always enjoyed having the whole family together during birthday gatherings, milestone achievements, and the holidays. It gave her a peace of mind knowing that they were all happy, healthy, and successful. And once again we gather to celebrate a life well lived, remembering her as a loving wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She will be greatly missed…

“Do not run through life so fast

that you forget not only

where you have been

but also

where you are going.”