Susana Faigal Mendoza

Susana Mendoza was born on November 12, 1928 in Guimba, Nueva Ecija, Philippines where she grew up and completed her primary and secondary education at Corregidor College.

She finished her nursing degree at Mary Johnson’s School of Nursing in Tondo, Manila, Philippines.

In 1951 she moved to Tacloban, Leyte to work at Bethany Hospital shortly after her nursing graduation where she met her husband, Dr. Valentin Mendoza. They married on July, 21, 1952 and they were blessed with their first child, Nena, a year later. Their second child, Manuel was born 11 months later.

They moved to Maasin, Southern Leyte a few years later where the family settled and established their medical practice, where they founded the Family Clinic and Hospital as a husband and wife team. They were blessed with 4 additional children, Nenita, Alfredo, Lino and Hector.

In 1972 she took the chance to move to the US to continue and pursue her nursing career at Passaic General Hospital as a surgical nurse.

In 1974 she transferred to Fargo North Dakota to work at St. John’s Hospital as her husband began his residency program in Family Practice at St. Luke’s Hospital.

In 1976 they moved to Sisseton, South Dakota where her husband was offered a medical position at Couteau de Praries Hospital after completing his residency program. Susana was also employed at the same hospital. This was a significant move because it enabled the 4 minor children to join their parents in the US through the assistance of Senator George McGovern via the influence of his sister Olive who lived in Sisseton then.

In 1981 the family moved to Granite Falls, Minnesota as part of a job related move.

In 1986 she transferred to Orange, California after her husband’s untimely death 2 years earlier to follow her daughter, Nenita, who was expecting her first child. She lived in Orange, CA for 21 years where her house was the hub of family events.

In 2007 she moved to Janesville, Wisconsin to be closer to her son Alfredo and his family to spend more quality time with her grandchildren.

In 2012 she decided to transfer one more time to Las Vegas, to be close to her younger sister, Ruth Ramirez, up to her recent passing.