Jose Noche Banog II

Jose Noche Banog II (commonly known as Tatay Jose, Kuya Pito, Tito Joe) was born on March 19, 1933, in Taal, Batangas, Philippines, and returned to be with the Lord on April 17, 2020, in Glendale, California, USA.

Jose was born to the late Eugenio and Teofila Banog. He grew up in Rosario, Batangas, Philippines, and was raised with four siblings: Celing, Rosie, Beda, and Nanet.

He attended the College of Fine Arts and Design at the University of Santo Tomas. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Later on, he would work as an artist/illustrator for the Civil Service Commission of the Philippines, where he spent most of his career. After immigrating to the United States, he continued doing similar work at Continental Graphics until he retired in 1995. As an incredible artist, he will always be remembered for the fantastic works of art that he created depicting nature (Philippine landscapes, flowers) and his loved ones.

On April 19, 1961, Jose married Mena Ilao Salvo in Quezon, Philippines. Together, they had four children: Doris, Dante, Rusela, and Bles.

He and Mena devoted their lives to building up the local church by helping teach bible studies, creating church decorations, and assisting with baptisms.

He truly loved his wife. After moving to the United States, every Valentine’s Day, he would create a card and mail it to her. Towards the end of his life, on his many walks around the neighborhood, he would often pick flowers from other neighbors to give to her.

He also dearly loved his siblings. When his sister, Rosie, was nearing the end of her life, he was always by her side, praying for her, supporting her however he could. When his twin brother Celing was recovering from surgery, he would stay overnight on many occasions to watch over his brother and minister to him.

As a father, he made countless sacrifices for his family. Throughout the majority of his career, he stayed in Manila, away from family, to work continuously from Monday-Friday and would come home to his family on the weekends in Batangas. Although tired, he always made an effort to bring back “pasalubong” (Tagalog: treats) for his kids. He always hated Monday because he knew he would have to leave his family again to go back to work.

Being a grandfather was one of the highlights of his life. He loved being a grandfather but never wanted to be called “Lolo” (Tagalog: grandfather). He’d always say that being called “Lolo” made him feel old, so he preferred only to be called “Tatay” (Tagalog: dad). He loved his grandchildren even in the last moments of his life and was always looking for them.

However, what he loved the most was serving God and sharing the gospel with everyone he met. At 44, he became a Christian after meeting a foreign missionary from Germany, Mr. Buis. After learning about God’s love for him and Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice on the Cross, he devoted the rest of his life to sharing the good news of God’s love. He used his gift of art and painting to create custom gospel tracts (a piece of writing that expresses the words of the Gospel of Jesus Christ) to evangelize to others. He used every moment to reach out to people, connect with them, and share the gospel with them. He made friends everywhere he went. On his walks to the park, waiting at a bus stop, going to get groceries, somehow, he always met someone new to befriend and share the gospel with.

He is survived by his wife Mena, sister Beda, brother Nanet, children Dante, Rusela, Bles, grandchildren Paulo, Bryan, Timothy, AJ, Josh, Daniel, Abi S., Faith, Abigail B., and great-grandchild Dion. He was preceded in death by his parents Eugenio, Teofila, daughter Doris (11 mo.), sister Rosie, and brother Celing.

Jose lived a full life. Jose will always be remembered for his love for God and the love that he poured out for others. He was able to see people through God’s eyes - as broken and in need of love, in need of the gospel. Even in his last moments, he was praising God with his wife, singing the songs God is So Good, Alam Ko May Magagawa Ang Diyos (I Know God Can Do It), and This Is Day That The Lord Has Made.

A Drive through Visitation will be held on Friday, April 24 11:30 am - 12:30 pm at Glendale Funeral Home on 511 South Central Avenue Glendale, CA 91204. Please meet family at Glendale Galleria, JC Penny parking lot at 1st floor.