Gogo was born in the Philippines on October 7, 1956, to Remedios and Juan Umali. He was the 6th out of 8 siblings. As a young man, he had a great love for reading, writing, and folk music. In college, he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and his Master’s degree in Theology.
His passion for following the teachings of Christ and helping the poor led him to enter the priesthood. He joined the Redemptorist seminary, where for 8 years he remained until his required year out for pastoral experience. During that year, he worked for the nonprofit arm of the Catholic Bishops of the Philippines, where he was responsible for obtaining international funding for livelihood programs serving the urban poor of Manila.
It was during this time that Gogo found his calling in serving the poor directly and decided to end his pursuit of priesthood. He spent much of this time organizing the urban poor to stand up against then-President and Dictator Ferdinand Marcos’ rule. Around the same time, he got married and started a family.
After Marcos was ousted by the People Power Revolution, he was invited to join the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor by the new President Corazon Aquino’s administration, where he saw an opportunity to serve the poor on a larger scale.
When President Corazon Aquino’s term ended, President Fidel Ramos appointed Gogo to his cabinet as Director of the Department of Transportation and Communications. He specifically focused in Special Projects concerning foreign government investments to establish telecommunication facilities in all part of the Philippines. His primary concern was providing cheaper access to telephone services to the poorest areas of the country.
After President Ramos finished his term, Gogo retired from government service and established a private practice community counseling center known as the Heart Counseling Center. He recently reunited with his family in the United States, though he continued to carry the passion for helping his fellow Pilipinos.
He is survived by his daughters, Lenine and Lee, and the mother of his children, Lor Umali.
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Visitation Location
Lima Family Milpitas-Fremont Mortuary
48800 Warm Springs Blvd.
Fremont, CA 94539
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Visitation Day 1 - Lunch & Light Dinner Provided
Tuesday, May 29, 2018
1:00pm - 9:00pm
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Visitation Day 2 - Lunch & Light Dinner Provided
Wednesday, May 30, 2018
1:00pm - 9:00pm
***The visitations will be live-streamed for friends and family who are unable to be present for the visitation but would like to share their condolences and good memories of Gogo.***
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Funeral Service
Thursday, May 31, 2018
11:30am - 12:30am
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St. John The Baptist Church
279 South Main St.
Milpitas, CA 95035.
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Burial
Thursday, May 31, 2018
1:00pm - 2:00pm
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Cedar Lawn Cemetery
48800 Warm Springs Blvd.
Fremont, CA 94539.
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Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.limafamilycedarlawn.com for the Umali family or Gogo's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/gogo.umali/.
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