Evangeline Palma Ordinario

Evangeline Palma Ordinario, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and servant of God, passed from this life into the eternal presence of her Lord. Born on May 10, 1949, in the Philippines, she was the eighth of nine children born to Nicanor Demonteverde Palma, Sr. and Nona Tugbang Causing. Her life was a testament to faith, resilience, and extraordinary love — a living embodiment of Romans 8:28: “We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose.”

Evangeline lost her mother when she was just one year old, and the poverty that followed could have broken a lesser spirit. Instead, it forged one of unshakable faith. From childhood, she walked miles in the early morning darkness to attend the 4:30 a.m. Misa de Gallo, feeling — as she always said — that Christ Himself was listening to her from the altar. That relationship with God never wavered; it only deepened with every trial she was asked to carry.

She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Santo Tomas in Manila in 1970, trusting God to make a way even when tuition money ran out. On Valentine’s Day 1968, she met the man who would become her husband — a moment she credited entirely to a candid conversation with God that very morning. She and Dr. Anacleto T. Ordinario, Jr. (Jing) were married and built a life of four decades together, settling in the United States and eventually making their home in the Dallas area.

Her years in Lake Charles, Louisiana, where the family lived from 1978 to 2010, were both the proving ground and the flowering of her faith. Diagnosed with zero-negative rheumatoid arthritis and confined to crutches for three months in a strange city with two small children and no family nearby, she turned to Scripture and found not just comfort, but purpose. She immersed herself in the Word of God, joined the Church, and began a life of service that would span decades. She worked alongside her husband in his medical practice for 26 years without pay, and poured herself into the Altar Society, Catholic Daughters, the Medical Society Auxiliary, the Junior League, the Mayor’s Commission for Women, the Lake Charles Symphony, and school fundraisers for children in need.

Among her greatest joys and greatest crosses was the Youth 2000 Eucharistic Centered Retreat for the Diocese of Lake Charles, which she coordinated for five years, drawing 900 to 1,000 young people annually.

Her faith life overflowed into every organization she touched. She was a Lay Eucharistic Minister for more than 30 years, a member of Serra Club International, a Lady Grand Cross of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, a Dame of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem, a member of the Legion of Mary and the Catholic Daughters of the Americas, and a Eucharistic Minister volunteer at UT Southwestern William P. Clements, Jr. Hospital. She and Jing undertook medical missions in Nicaragua and pilgrimages to Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Rome, Lourdes, Fatima, and many other sacred sites, always seeking God in the world.

The awards she received over a lifetime were a partial measure of her impact: the Pro Deo Et Pontifice Award for outstanding service to the Roman Catholic Church and to mankind; the Diocesan Distinguished Service Award for Acts of Charity and Evangelization; Evangelizer of the Year and Citizen of the Year from the Diocese of Lake Charles; the American Red Cross Hurricane Rita Relief Award; the Outstanding Community Philanthropist Award; and many more. But Evangeline herself measured success differently. “Success,” she wrote, “is walking in the will of God.”

Her daily joy was attending Mass, praying the Rosary, and spending time in Adoration of the Holy Eucharist. She loved movies, mahjong, traveling the world, and, most of all, spending time with her family, especially her grandchildren. She prayed every morning with the same five petitions she had carried for years: “Speak Lord, I want to do your will. Speak Lord, show me your plan for my life. Speak Lord, give me wisdom and encouragement for my day to day situation. Speak Lord, may your words be effective in me and through me to others. Speak Lord, revive and renew the world.”

She is survived by her son Paul, married to Rebecca (Bram), and their children Cameron and Nora; her daughter Maria Lynda, married to Shawn Pingel, and their children Landry, Myla, Olivia, Ava, Nathanial, and John Damien. She is also survived by her sister Estela T. Palma. She was preceded in death by her husband and her grandson Brent Anthony Ordinario; her parents; her brothers Anacleto, Nicanor Jr., Nicomedes, and Amando; and her sisters Lydia and Asila.

“We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose.”

Visitation will be held at Calvary Hill Funeral Home, 3235 Lombardy Lane, Dallas, Texas 75220 on Tuesday, May 5, 2026 from 4:00 pm - 8:00 pm, with the Holy Rosary recited at 6:00 pm.

Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at the North Chapel (inside the mausoleum) of Calvary Hill Cemetery on Wednesday, May 6, 2026 at 2:00 pm, followed by a reception inside funeral home building.

Friends and family are invited to gather in fellowship at the residence, 3130 N. Harwood Dr. # 2006 Dallas, Texas 75201. Please valet but do not tip.

In memory of Evangeline, friends and family may make a charitable donation to St. Monica Catholic Church in Dallas or an organization of their choice.