Amelia C. Trinidad

Amelia dela Cruz Trinidad was blessed with an abundance of leadership qualities. It would be accurate to say that she was an outstanding luminary and that her natural abilities served her well. She knew with certainty how she wanted to set priorities in all aspects of her life. She struck those who knew her as the kind of person who awoke in the morning with a clear sense of exactly what she expected from her day and how to set about accomplishing those goals. Mely was someone who definitely liked order and was most comfortable with an organized and structured lifestyle. When this climate was absent, she would set about to immediately create it. She believed that those around her expected nothing less and so she did her best to fulfill those expectations.

It is said that some people develop certain traits over the course of their lives, but for Mely, leadership was a quality that she was most likely inborn. On July 11, 1941, she first greeted the world in Baliwag, Bulacan. Her parents, Apolonio and Lorenza Trinidad, were generous and good providers who made growing up in Baliwag, Bulacan Philippines a time that made for a number of wonderful memories. Mely was brought up to be reasonable in her actions and was taught to use her intellect wisely. She was an honest and straightforward child, traits that reinforced her self-confidence. Even at a young age, Mely was credited with having a positive influence on those around her.

The positive atmosphere that Mely generated regularly spread over her family. She was raised in a loving home with 12 siblings, six brothers and six sisters: Leonora, Amando, Isabelita, Erlinda, Elisa, Ismael, Florentino, Alberto, Domingo, Cecilia, Juancho, and Fe. Mely served as a catalyst for good within the family. She often found herself in the role of providing fair solutions to the sibling disputes which would sometimes pop up. In every family activity, she was able to demonstrate an uncanny ability at building compromise through an ability to manage most any type of situation. She liked to see things executed properly and showed a skill for taking charge of situations that were drifting out of control. At the same time, she was willing to experiment with different approaches as she worked a plan towards a solution. This was the case whether it was in school or just playing with friends. She attended St. Barbara Elementary School. As far as friends go, Mely had quite a few. It was easy for her to make friends because she was drawn to people who, like herself, were confident in their abilities. Her closest friends included cousins, Remy and Belen, whom she loved to have picnics with in the park and at the lakes. She also enjoyed watching movies and basketball and reading.

When it came to academics and school, Mely's organizational skills reaped many rewards. She was able to create a system for getting her schoolwork done in a proper and timely manner. With a strong ability to analyze her schoolwork and assignments, she could apply a practical, common sense approach to completing her studies. She demonstrated novel ways in which she tackled new problems and would regularly challenge her own reasoning ability to find solutions. However, the high school years were not just about academics. Mely also enjoyed the social aspects of her teen years. In a group of friends and acquaintances, Mely was typically the first person to take the initiative to go up and greet someone new. This quality made her very approachable by others throughout her life. It was this same quality which brought Mely the reward of many friends.

Taking responsibility came natural to Mely. It was something that she rarely shied away from. Learning the value of work, she had her first experience with employment when she helped in the bakery, her family's business.

The work habits and approaches to studying that Mely utilized in high school also served her well in college. She always seemed to be on a quest for knowledge. She was able to summarize and compile information for her classes by employing a matter-of-fact approach. Mely was intuitive and mentally alert, and craved the challenge of solving complex problems. Mely attended Baliwag Junior College, earning her B.S. in Elementary Education. During college, Amelia was also crowned Miss Baliwag.

Family was very important to Mely, even if she didn’t always show it. Mely was blessed with one daughter, Maricar. Though she always tried to offer good counsel to her daughter, she didn’t always overdo it. And when Maricar succeeded, Mely was filled with pride and joy. One thing was for sure, Mely tried hard to raise her daughter in a nurturing environment. Their house was warm and cozy and always had home cooked meals on the table. She was able to keep order by using the same efficient and straightforward methods with the family as she did with all of her tasks. She rarely made a scene when it came to discipline. Instead, she was subtle and patient in her dealings when teaching right from wrong. Later on in life, Mely was also blessed with two grandchildren, Abigail and Tristan, whom she loved dearly.

At work Mely was viewed as a natural leader. She could marshal all of the available resources, including personnel and materials, in order to meet virtually any objective. She was great at developing strategies and seemed able to make maximum progress with little wasted effort. Mely was also adept at uncovering new and more efficient ways of getting things done. She was able to establish and achieve objectives through long range planning and was always able to keep the big picture clearly in sight. Although she might have been described by some as an overachiever, she was without question a dedicated and diligent employee. Mely’s primary occupation was as a teacher, but probably the most unique or interesting job Mely ever held was as a change person at the Mirage for 10 years. She also owned and operated a travel agency, Mely's Travel, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Not only did Mely find pleasure in pursuing her various hobbies, she also enjoyed the discovery and research involved in learning about them. Her skill at problem-solving had a positive influence on these activities as well. Some of her favorite pastimes were Bingo, playing poker machines, and watching any type of sports. Mely also had a number of favorite things in her life. Food and drink were meant to be enjoyed, especially enjoying Applebee's and Olive Garden. She also was partial to Pinoy Pinay, her brother's restaurant in Las Vegas!

When reading, Mely liked Bill Clinton's "My Life", People Magazine, and Asian Journal. She also enjoyed watching any movie with George Clooney, TV game shows, American Idol and Dancing With the Stars. She also enjoyed following her favorite teams and events whenever she got the opportunity, which included the LA Lakers, Anaheim Ducks and the San Diego Chargers. Mely loved Celine Dion and also went through a country phase where she especially like Anne Murray. Mely was truly a people person who loved being surrounded by others, smiling, and always having a story to share.

As Mely looked ahead toward her retirement, she knew that she would have to be well-prepared. She had worked out all of the details well in advance and knew exactly what she was going to do. The year of her retirement finally came in 2006. Retirement afforded Mely the time to enjoy life and provided one more opportunity to look ahead at what was in store for her.

Mely Trinidad left us on April 15, 2011. She passed away at University Medical Center in Las Vegas, Nevada after suffering a massive heart attack at age 69. She was preceded in death by her parents; older sister, Isabelita; and younger brother, Alberto. She is survived by her daughter, Maricar; son-in-law, Elmer; two grandchildren, Abby and Tristan; five brothers; and five sisters. Services were handled by Palm Mortuary, Eastern Chapel in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mely was laid to rest in the Philippines.

Amelia dela Cruz Trinidad knew what she wanted from life and never hesitated in going after it. She could be characterized as a driven individual, someone who understood the importance of achievement. Mely was decisive and outspoken at times, but she was also positive and upbeat. She was a leader, both intentionally and sometimes by default. If she saw that something needed to be done, she was always ready to step up and organize, implement and actualize a plan.

Arrangements under the direction of Palm Eastern Mortuary, Las Vegas, NV.