Francisco P. Cacho

FRANCISCO “ANCIS” P. CACHO

October 11, 1933 - May 11, 2025

His Early Years

Ancis was born on October 11, 1933, in the northern Philippine town of Castillejos, Zambales. He was the second of five (5) children of the former Town Mayor Sixto M. Cacho and his wife Rufina Pascua, a local beauty who descended from a notable Castillejos family.

He spent his childhood through his teens with his four siblings: Laura, Natividad, Erlinda and Antonio (deceased). He was also Manong to siblings Wilma, Norma and Marion.

His Professional Career

Upon graduating from high school in 1952, he began his career in government service as a messenger in the office of then Philippine Secretary of National Defense Ramon Magsaysay. He worked during days and studied in the evenings. At the University of the East, he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. In 1959, in search of professional growth, he moved to the country's monetary authority, the Central Bank of the Philippines. He climbed through the ranks in different capacities: from Clerk-messenger to Trade Control Examiner in the Export Department, and as Planning Analyst to Staff Officer in the Personnel Department. In 1983, he reached officer rank, with his promotion to Senior Staff Officer in the Central Bank Project Development and Management Office. It was the position he held until his retirement in 1984, after 25 years of service. Along the way, he took particular pride in having been awarded Model Employee of the Year 1971, as a Trade Control Examiner in the CB Export Department.

Off-office hours Sports Interests

He was active in the Central Bank sports program. Notable was his membership in the Central Bank Chess Tournament Team which competed in year-round Inter-Bank chess tournaments. Most often, he was designated to play black (as a defensive player of the team).

As a ping-pong enthusiast, he organized and played in various tournaments and had some trophies to show! In support of youth development in his home-
town, he developed and donated the free use of his residential lots in Castillejos, as a neighborhood or barangay mini-sports playgrounds for basketball and ping-pong. To this day, his donations provide for children's basketball and ping-pong equipment, as well as modest upkeep of the playgrounds.

Career in the United States

Soon after arrival in the US in 1985, he began 
his new career in the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) as Senior Data Input Clerk. 
He worked his way up the promotional ladder, and culminated as Supervising Eligibility Worker in 2001, the position he held until his retirement in 2004.

His Family Life

Ancis met his life partner and “Sweetheart” Corazon Legaspi Ravelo, who hails from the Mindanao province of Surigao, in the Central Bank in early 1960. After some 5 years of friendship, they tied the knot at sunrise of the glorious Easter Sunday morning of April 18, 1965, at the historic Malate Catholic Church in Ermita, Manila.

Ancis grew into a devoted “Papa” to his 4 children: a son and three daughters, who brought him great pride and immense joy through the years! Each had married well and built their respective professional careers in California: the eldest Cyndy (husband Archie), as a nurse consultant in a county regional center; Frank Jr (wife Beth), after a brief stint in the U.S. Marine Corps, as a creative director in the entertainment advertising industry; Cecile (husband Alain) as a supervising nurse in a noted private hospital; and the youngest Carla, as a research clinical trial coordinator at UCLA. In time, he eased to a doting “Grandpa” to additional heavenly gifts of ten (10) grandchildren: Cyndy’s Celine (husband Jerico), Austin (wife Jennifer) and Cathryn (husband Nolan); Frank Jr’s Jessica (husband Joe), Noah (wife Cristina) and Logan; Cecile’s Cobe, Aaron and Calvin; and Carla’s Wesley.

Ancis lived a simple and responsibility-focused family life. He enjoyed serene sunset years with his Sweetheart in his modest home in Grand Terrace, California, gardening, tending a special rose garden which he dedicated for his Sweetheart; occasional ping-pong outings, and some fun travels. He cherished time being “Lolo” to more bundles of joy in seven (7) great grandchildren! Celine’s Jax and Thea Aldana; Noah’s Jonah Cacho; Jessica’s Billie Humpay ; and Cathryn’s Malakai, Eli, and Cade Cruz-Smith.

He envisioned a Grand Terrace orchard and began planting fruit trees named after his grandchildren: cherimoyas after Jessica and Celine, Austin’s apple, Noah’s peach, Cobe’s and Aaron’s cherry trees, but these got eaten by gophers! Now there are 2 nectarine trees; guava-apples after Cathryn and Wesley; and Calvin’s comquat. Logan’s was a Manila mango grown from seed but was eaten by gophers again so a cherry guava instead for Logan! 
Later, he fashioned a walking cane out of a guava tree branch on which he wrote his children’s and grandchildren’s names.

He was a father figure as “Manong Ancis“, “Uncle Ancis“ or “Lolo Ancis” to his large family of cousins, nephews and nieces, and grandchildren in his hometown Castillejos.

Similarly, he was a supportive big brother and “Kuya Ancis” to his wife Azon's siblings Ted (deceased), Ramon, Dodong, Carmen "Nene", and Consuelo "Bebot."

Through the years, he felt blessed to be able to share away his savings with his apos as birthday and Christmas kringles, as gas money, diaper money, school money, or as Easter egg hunt prizes! He also kept his ear close to the ground to identify needs of his family back in the Philippines: for school expenses, modest home repairs, 'abuloys', medications and Christmas ‘noche buenas’. He gave back to his community by way of a scholarship to support high school students in financial need.



To him, the goal in living is to love, and one cannot love without giving.



In the end, in his own words and not uncharacteristically, Ancis whispered and said simply, “I had a good life.”

Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails.
-Proverbs 19:21