Jesus "Jess" Gabuya

..in the eyes of his daughter Cherry Ann

My father was born 0n July 25, 1934 in Cebu City Philippines. He was the firstborn of Feliciano Gabuya (a public school teacher then a BIR examiner ) and to Fidela Gabuya , the recently crowned Town Princess whom Feliciano married in a heartbeat. The Gabuya family was well to do and influential as grandpa was BIR(Bureau of Internal Revenue ). Director in Cebu City, Philippines..

Dad had 3 brothers and 3 sisters respectively named Eddie, Reynaldo, Rebecca Feliciano Jr, Veronica , Manuel and Leonor. His dad traveled a lot and he assumed the role of the family disciplinarian. Rebecca (Tita Becky) is his closest sibling and relates to me on how he would make them clean the house, make the floors shiny (so so shiny "that a fly should slide if it lands on it " as my aunt Becky vividly remembers!). She tells me that they cannot enter the front door anymore of their home after the "Cleaning " frenzy. They can only go through the backdoor from then on.

Being the eldest, he was Feliciano's right hand and favorite. All his brothers and sisters respected and feared him altogether. He was fondly called Do Susing , Tiago to his family or Jess to his work colleagues. The Gabuya family had their music genes all in order and more. The family owned the "Gabuya Brothers Orchestra. ". It is A Filipino musical band that performs for town celebrations and parties. Dad was the lead saxophonist, his brother Eddie played the trumpet , Feliciano Jr the second saxophonist and clarinet, Rebecca the accordion and Grandpa Ciano played the banjo and base. They performed regularly on weekends and he would steal a dance or two with mother as they were still dating then. Actually his band scholarships got him through college.

He was attracted to my mother long before they met. They finally got introduced by friends. They were only in high school then. My mother was lavished with expensive gifts (high heeled signature shoes} from my dad during their courtship years. He could afford it because He was already working as a bookkeeper for some Chinese merchants. He finished college with a Business degree . He took his time to finishing his degree up until my mother gave him an ultimatum....more so after as they were already married. He graduated in 1961. My mother was already a full fledged public school nurse then.

His father made him manage the family owned printing press for a. year; it did not last long because he landed on a job intended for his younger brother Eddie who was unemployed. He worked as a medical sales representative for Marsman & Company Inc , a US owned medical /pharmaceutical distribution company. He was an employee for this company for 28years. He then rose to become became District Manager of Butuan. City and Cagayan de Oro . He was a great salesman and supervisor. His regular clients in Cebu would still call and order from him even if he was relocated to another island. He has won many sales contests and his district branch would more than meet their Monthly sales quota. He was a down to earth manager and was well loved by his salesmen. He was also very popular with his clients because as a collector he was firm but empathic to their financial situation. He had the humor and wit of a savvy salesperson.

Jess was blessed with 4 children respectively named: Cherry Ann (that's me). Joseph, Jay and Felicano I/Lucien. He is survived by 10 grandchildren : Joyjoy and Joey from Joseph; Aaron,Carmel, Francene ,Mary Louise and Catherine from

Lucien,;Brent and Michael from me and Justine from Jay. He has two great grandchildren named NJ and Harrison from Joyjoy. He will soon have a great granddaughter from Aaron. I married Evan; Joseph to Sarah; Jay to Gigi and Lucien to Jeanna.

His four children took turns in making his heart race or stop in their growing years. I recall my dad firing a shotgun through our window when my first boyfriend visited me. He would turn livid and red when my three brothers nicely misbehaved. He went through the pain of a clavicle fracture from Jay or a wrist fracture from Bobong all from bicycle mishaps. Lucien the youngest , inherited the musical genes from Dad. He plays the piano by ear very well with not much formal music lessons. Dad is very proud . All his children got college degrees as he expected them to. He worked hard to send us to college. BTW, college loans are non existent in the Philippines

My dad was a wonderful father in more ways than one. All of us would pack up in a Volkswagen Beetle on the weekends to go to the beach or travel to other cities wherever he was reassigned. Mostly in Mindanao, So Philipines. We would spend a weekend in Surigao City from Butuan, go to Iligan City and Marawi from Cagayan de Oro or spend a weekend in Bukidnon. He was always there for the four of us. He was more like a military commander in chief when need be. He would travel to other islands as a medical sales rep. We kind of enjoyed itwhen he was gone coz the house was quiet and the "cat was away " kind of phenomena. We love it more so When he comes home bringing wonderful delicacies from His travels. Be It some coconut caramels, peanut kissses from Bohol, fresh crabs, or jumbo shrimps. He loved ...loved seafood. He would have a special delivery of fresh mussels (amahong ) to our home almost everyday. He was an expert in preparing kinilao (fresh fish marinated in vinegar) jellyfish or sea cucumbers . Not to mention tihi tihi-sea urchns fresh from the sea! He was actually a better Cook than Mommy.

Daddy was also an avid bowler. He would represent Marsman and Company i n several competition leagues at the YMCA. He is called "Buaya"- meaning one OfThe very best ! He was the "anchor" for their team. They would compete with other drug companies like Merck, Phillips Duphar, Shwabb, etc.

He was the Bicycle King of Tugas, Pardo (the hometown we grew up). He had the patience and expertise in restoring old and used bicycles in the neighborhood. He was the bicycle repairman of the town. He eventually had so many bicycles that he rented them on an hourly basis. Some bicycles would rent and never return! He continued to restore more and more! My brother Joseph was his assistant. I would keep the time log for the rentals for him. That was a profitable business. Each of his kids would have their best bicycle or pedaled metal toy cars provided by Dad. Nobody Iin our town had such beautiful bikes or pedaled toy cars. All because of him. He was very proud of it and so were we. On Sundays we would bike as a family to the salt beds in Cogon, a few miles from home. Bike as a family meaning without Mommy coz she doesn't ride or never learned to! If we brought mommy we would be going to the beach on Sundays in the small beetle, the Austin, the Sakbayan or the jeep. We went through a lot of vehicles in our childhood, courtesy of Marsman.

As a husband, he was faithful to Mom. Never looked at another woman once he found her. They loved to dance the Tango together. My dad taught me how to dance the boogie and the chacha. I struggled to learn the Tango..even still! My mom and dad had their not so peaceful and not so quiet fights but then they would make up just much as they would fight. Mom and dad celebrated their 50th Wedding anniversary in 2009. I can feel the heavens smile on my parents that beautiful sunny day. They were a year short of celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary ; that would have been next year-2019.

My father was deeply religious. Growing up we had twice weekly novenas and he would haul off his brood in that little VW company car. We all fit just right at the back of that little car minus the seatbelt. Wednesday's was novena at Perpetual Succour at the Redemptorist church. Friday's was novena at the Basilica del Sto Nino. Sundays was at our town church in Pardo. He was a member of several religious organizations be it in PI or US. Knights of Columbus, Cursillo, whatever...he was proud to belong to the group with my mother!

Dad immigrated to the United States in 1989, a few months before my church wedding. As his only daughter, I needed my dad to walk me down the aisle . No ifs or buts! He has no others to give away !!! So he did ....and left home, left his job , his business and my brothers as well. My mom brought the wedding gown and bridesmaid dresses with her from the Philippines. He was very proud and happy to walk his only daughter down the aisle.

Being an immigrant, dad worked as a private security officer . He became an armed security officer and he was very proud of it. ONe day, we drove to his place of work in a lumber company in Perris. To our embarrassment, there was my dad asleep sitting up on a pedestal for all to see!!! The lumber employees were guarding him instead! He was mostly proud to be the private security officer of the Mission Inn in Riverside. He swears it is haunted and he swears there is a tunnel there too. It was ornate and beautiful then before it has become what it is now.

He would sell odds and ends, together with Mommy in the Swapmeet on weekends. Not to mention, start a bicycle repair shop or be the recipient of old and thrown bicycles in the Swapmeet. He would restore them and sell them. That was his personal sales, an unwritten agreement between Mom and him. His bicycle sales were his own. And boy he had money! Dad found us Swappy , our first pet dog in the Swapmeet. SHe was a brindled mutt, a cross between a pit bull and something else. She was an intellligent family dog. We loved this dog being our first "child", but nobody would dare pet her or touch her. She had a lot of pit bull features!!!!

We did not have children until much later...8 years to be exact. Mom and dad used travel with us everywhere in the US, be it in a travel trailer or the RV. He really loved those travels. Be it on a Las Vegas Friday night escapade or weekly RV trips to Oregon , Seattle , Montana or. Wyoming .We had Swappy-his Swapmeet adopted dog as our baby then, traveling with us. We visited the World Trade Center with Dad before 9/11 for my Velez Nursing reunion in NYC. That was truly a remarkable experience. Daddy had the video to prove it! With the boys, dad and mom went with us on a coast to coast train ride from San Bernardino to Albany New York, then to Boston Massachusetts. Those times were priceless!

His life forever changed once Brent and Evan Michael were born. He was actually a soft disciplinarian when it came to to his grandchildren. He never spared the rod on us but boy...He never used the rod on his grandchildren! That was a total shocker to me. My boys gave him a run for his money, esp Brent. Daddy had to keep up with him during his hyperactivity spells which was all the time! He taught Brent how to play the saxophone when he can blow that darn big instrument! Brent and Evan Michael grew up with their grandpa...I couldnt ask for more. He would take the boys everywhere with grandma on his orange dodge pick up truck. He was also the schoolbus, the nanny ,teacher 's aide and referee (. No.....but yes esp when the boys fight). all in one. He moved briefly to San Francisco but couldn't leave Evan Michael down south crying everyday for his grandpa and grandma. And so they came back!

Daddy was always active. He never stopped until it was dark and it was time oto go tomsleep. He makes himself a workshop at the back of his home. He had old bicycles that he picked up on trash day to restore for his grandchildren . He had a lot of planting and gardening to do. Daddy was a green thumb with a capital G. Nothing died on his fingertips. Whereas Mommy would murder his plants by overwatering them. I learned to love to garden from him. He would make us tend our own vegetable plots when we were growing up in the Phil. He never stopped planting up until the day of his accidental fall four years ago.

Dad Had a traumatic fall with severe brain injury in his backyard. We think he tripped feeding his dog. He was 80. Years old then. He never regained full cognitive function after this trauma. He was in Heritage Gardens for the last three years and 6 months of his life. He would have brief visits to Loma Linda University Medical Center when he got into big trouble . Then he would return to the facility. My mom was at his side day in and day out. Hardly no fail at all. Rain or shine(although it seldom rains in SoCal) ride or no ride (more likely)'coz she does not drive. Our hearts break seeing our very active dad become bedridden individual who could barely speak or move. We would have wished to see him loud and bossy, cracking his jokes and moving around all day swearing "pisting Yawa" at the drop of a hat, than this. He wanted to live despite his pain and discomfort for Mommy. She wouldn't let go of him either. His heart never stopped because he was strong and very active before the accident.

God gave him rest that fateful Monday evening. He waited for everyone to gather around his deathbed. It was a serene beautiful passing , drew his last breath then he was no longer with us. He had a long struggle of chronic illness and to the very end, he showed us persistence, endurance, courage and bravery.

We are blessed to have him in our lives .He will be forever in our hearts, Love you Dad. Always!

Your children and wife