Maria S. Dompor

A Legacy of Gratitude, Humility and Simplicity

Maria Manding Sinajon Dompor, fondly called Mamay by everyone in the family and almost all relatives and friends, was the seventh of nine siblings (five boys and four girls): Romulo, Hilarion, Arsenio, Gregorio, Felisa, Sofia, Maria, Pedro, and Aurelia. She was born in the coastal town of Alburquerque in the island province of Bohol, Philippines on January 30, 1917 to Dimas Sinajon and Perpetua Manding.

She attended Cebu Normal College and worked as a public elementary grades teacher for almost forty years in the Philippines. Her first teaching assignment was in Loboc, Bohol where she met World War II 1st Lieutenant Anatolio Jala Dompor, son of Alejo Dompor and Demetria Jala. They got married on November 27, 1943 and settled near the Dompor ancestral home and farm in Calunasan Norte, Loboc.

Anatolio was the sixth of seven siblings (five boys and two girls): Ireneo, Segunda, Agatiso Sr, Castor Sr, Benigna, Anatolio, and Pelagio who was ordained to the priesthood. Msgr Peling was very influential in the formation of twelve other priests in the Dompor Clan. The presence of thirteen priests and two nuns in the Dompor Clan plus a priest and three nuns in the Manding Clan was an amazing source of blessing for the family. The piety and family values that have been handed down to the next generation are priceless legacies that will always be treasured.

Anatolio and Maria were blessed with five children: +Julito (wife Teodora Alcala with two sons Julius Theodore and Jonas Ian, two daughters Khristine Joy and Therese Jayne, daughter-in-law Maybel Apduhan, and sons-in-law Robbin Reyes and Edgar Roque); +Rosalie Milagros (called home to our Creator a month after her birth); Maria Corazon (the official unregistered nanny to all her six nephews and two nieces, and after retirement became Mamay’s excellent caregiver); Antonio (married to Jesusa Punzalan with two sons Dr. James Anthony and John Nathan); and Elvigia (married to Ernesto Habana with two sons MichaelAngelo and MatthewCarlo).

Mamay was widowed at 53 on October 27, 1970. Julito and Corazon worked their way through college and, when they were gainfully employed, helped with school expenses for the younger siblings. Mamay took her optional retirement from teaching at age 62 and shortly thereafter migrated to America in 1981 through a family petition sponsored by Antonio, who joined the US Navy while finishing an Engineering course a few years after finishing high school at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary. All of Mamay’s eight grandchildren are very blessed to have had her as their loving, kind, and gentle babysitter.

Mamay liked to eat cheetos and chicharon (with a splash of soy sauce and calamansi). Of course, she never said no to ice cream and fruit smoothies. And take note: she enjoyed a few sips of either beer or wine infused with Sprite alongside her drinking buddy Ernie. She also loved to adventure with her travel partner Corazon. In August 2004, right after the first Dompor Clan International reunion in New York / New Jersey, she joined the family pilgrimage to London, Paris, Lourdes, Geneva and Rome. Mamay was 87 then, but she was very able to keep up with the long walks, and she never complained throughout the four-country Eurail journey.

Mamay’s humble and rural upbringing probably explains why she preferred to stay in the background most of the time. However, she had her moment of television fame when she was interviewed on GMA Network’s 24 Oras at the inauguration of the temporary Loboc Church during her visit to Bohol in October 2014, one year after the big earthquake.

Mamay’s childlike faith and trust in God combined with her remarkable attitude of gratitude plus her humility and simplicity were her secret to a joyful and fulfilled 102 wonderful years of life. She peacefully returned to our Creator at 5:05pm on Wednesday, December 18, 2019 surrounded by loved ones.

Words are never enough to express our thanks to Mamay. She will be deeply missed but her legacy of gratitude to God, humility and simplicity will live on.

All glory, honor, and praise be to God, and as Mamay always loved to say, GRACIAS A DIOS!

A celebration of life visitation for Maria will be held Thursday, December 26, 2019 from 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM at Funeraria del Angel Chula Vista, 753 Broadway, Chula Vista, CA 91910. A celebration of life visitation will occur Friday, December 27, 2019 from 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM, 753 Broadway, Chula Vista, CA 91910. A catholic funeral mass will occur Saturday, December 28, 2019 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM at Mater Dei Catholic Church, 1615 Mater Dei Drive, Chula Vista, CA 91913. An eternal resting place will occur Saturday, December 28, 2019 from 11:30 AM to 12:00 PM at Holy Cross Cemetery, 4470 Hilltop Drive, San Diego, CA 92102.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.humphreymortuary.com for the Dompor family.