Felicitas Valbuena Bareng

Felicitas was born on June 9, 1927 in Baguio City, Philippines to her parents Emmanuel Valbuena and Maria Laurel Valbuena. She went to School at Holy Family College, Baguio City, Philippines (1941 – World War II). On January 3, 1947, she married Salvador Palmares Bareng (Badong) in Baguio City, Philippines. She was a graduate of Holy Family College Vocational School. In the Phillipines, she worked as a licensed midwife at Balatoc Mines Hospital (1942-1943), Civilian Secretary to the Base Commander, Col. Philips, U.S. Military Base (Camp John Hay, Baguio, Philippines (1943-1945). While working at the base, she was chosen as “Miss Asia” in a local beauty pageant. Additionally, she worked as a secretary to the President/Owner, Hotel Monaco, Baguio City (1945), secretary to the Legal Counsel, Radiowealth, Inc. Manila, Philippines, and a Private Secretary to the Philippine Consul to Somalia. She had a catering business, serving lunch and snacks at Commonwealth Foods, Inc., a food manufacturing company. She took a private lesson in dressmaking and continued to make hundreds of school and teacher uniforms, first communion gowns, costume for school plays, etc., wedding gowns and dresses.

In 1977, at the age of 50 years old, Fely immigrated to the USA. Her son, Lad enlisted in the US Navy. After 4 years in the service, he petitioned her. Fely attended school at Heald Business Colleges in San Francisco where she got a Certificate of Completion for Word Processing. In San Francisco, she found a job in a “Secretarial Services” office which provided secretarial service to executives around the city who did not have their own secretaries. In 1982, she worked at Otis Elevator Company, where she was a Senior Clerk at the administrative office until she found another job. She found work at Fireman’s Fund Insurance Co. as Senior Clerk in the Commercial Insurance Plans Dept. Much of her contribution to the increase in work productivity was appreciated. The volume of work and business had expanded and tripled in productivity with her introduction of the “memory typewriter” to the team. All the other departments were provided a memory typewriter and Fely was made the official trainer. She was given a letter of commendation and was promoted to Senior Word Processing Technician at the Surety Center. “Employee of the Year” Award was given to her, in appreciation of her excellent performance for two consecutive years. With the award was an American Express Check. In 1996 at the age of 69, Fely retired with Fireman’s fund after working with the company for ten years. Fely excelled in the Civil Service test she took. In 1985, she ranked 3rd place with an average grade of 94. In 1989, she ranked 11 among 52 candidates at the Civil Services for Secretaries for the SF Airport Commision.

Among her brothers and sisters, children, and grandchildren, Fely was the least schooled and the only member of the clan who has not finished high school. But her hard work, perseverance and dedication helped her achieve the goals she set for herself.

In her own words, she would like to impart a message: “Now that all our eight children have finished their college degrees and almost all our fourteen grandchildren are currently pursuing theirs, I would like to tell them that education is gained not only in schools, but through one’s own experience. Patience, dignity, diligence, perseverance, and especially good relationships count a lot…”

Fely is survived by her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

A visitation for Felicitas will be held Sunday, December 18, 2022 from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM at Palm Eastern Mortuary, 7600 S Eastern Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89123. A funeral service will occur Sunday, December 18, 2022 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM, 7600 S Eastern Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89123. A witness cremation will occur Wednesday, December 21, 2022 from 10:00 AM to 10:30 AM at Palm Crematory, 1330 North Main St, Las Vegas, NV 89101.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.palmeastern.com for the Bareng family.