Dionisia Cance Ilagan was born on May 12, 1921, in Tiaong, Quezon, Philippines. Her parents, Pedro Cance and Timotea Aranes, gave birth to three daughters: Dionisia (eldest), Lorenza and Rosario. Her family moved to Bicol where Dionisia met Graciano Ilagan who would become her future husband. She had lots of suitors in her teenage years and ended up eloping with Graciano at the age of 16. They returned to Batangas, Philippines and started their own family. A housewife most of her life, Dionisia had six children with Graciano (3 girls, 3 boys): Isabelita, Minerva, Salud, Braulio, Honorato and Isagani. In 1985 Graciano and Dionisia immigrated to San Jose, CA to live with their oldest daughter, Isabelita, and her family. They returned to the Philippines in 1987 to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. Sadly, Dionisia was widowed in December 1987.
Dionisia hoped that by coming to the United States, she could find ways to help her family back home. At that time, Isabelita was the only daughter in the US, while all her other children were still overseas. She earned money to send home to the Philippines by babysitting the kids of Isabelita’s friends and other family members. She was a natural caretaker and had a motherly quality that made everyone feel close to her almost immediately. She would become Lola Doning to just about everyone she came across, including friends of her grandchildren. In time, she started babysitting her own great grandchildren, often running around after them despite her age. Though she babysat other kids that were not related to her, as those kids grew up, they would come back to visit Lola Doning, which made her very happy.
Dionisia is survived by 4 of her children: Isabelita, Minerva, Salud, Honorato, 21 Grandchildren, 36 Great Grandchildren and 7 Great Great Grandchildren. Dionisia lived live to the fullest in all her 98 years. Though somewhat limited physically in recent years, she remained mentally sharp, often joking around with everyone she came across. Always smiling, she was a fun, witty, loving mother, grandmother and friend, she will truly be missed by many.
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