 Having gone through this I know just how difficult it is...Hard to believe our 2nd Christmas without you by our sides. We continue to think about you and miss you as we do our best to continue on our Journey thru Life.....Always keeping you in our Hearts, Mind and Prayers....Merry Christmas Lola dear !!!!!

Edgar & I are so sorry to hear about Tia Coring's death. I have known Tia Coring since my college days with Luz, her niece. She has always been very kind, wonderful and such a very sweet person to be around with.  Edgar & I will always cherish our fond memories of her. Our hearts and prayers go to Yet and her family during this very difficult time.   Virgie
 .

HOW I WOULD LIKE TO REMEMBER MOM

My first face-to-face meeting with this remarkable woman, who would eventually become an important part of my life,  was on New Year's Eve in 1984 when I and another Filipino military officer travelled from North Carolina to spend new year in Baltimore.  I was then on a four-month Temporary Duty Assignment (TDY) at Fort Bragg in Fayettesville, North Carolina to take up the Psychological Operations Officers Course (Psyops) and  the Terrorism at Low Intensity Conflict Course (TLIC) as a military scholar under the United States-Philippines mutual defense agreement.  Outright, she made me feel welcome and accepted. Whatever apprehension and discomfort I had vanished when she laughingly said that " Yet  told me to take care of your future son in-law." A shy, timid smile was all I could do as I bowed slightly, reached for her hand, and sheepishly said "Mano Po" as a traditional Filipino sign of respect for an elder.
There was plenty of food on the table, mostly my favorite dishes back home.  As we feasted on the Filipino food during our midnight dinner, I surreptitiously glanced at her and caught her with that ever-present smile,  seemingly amused at how  I missed the same foodstuff from home. Short of something to start our conversation and to compliment her for the fine dinner, I thanked her for welcoming us and let us spend a truly Filipino new year away from home. With her signature laughter, she confessed that she already knew all my favorite food even before I came because " Yet told me everything about you already."
That was how I first knew Mom.  She always wore that engaging smile and that now familiar laughter which had become her hallmark since day one of our meeting. She would stop at nothing to take care of and please everybody close to her, without ever currying any favor for herself in return. But it was only half the package of what Mom really was. She was fiercely loyal, protective and dedicated to her whole family and would readily sacrifice everything to keep them from any harm.  Smiling, but with a tinge of determination on her voice, she told me "Ipinagkakatiwala ko si Yet sa iyo, pero ayaw kong makakarinig na sinaktan at pinaiyak mo siya." (I trust that you will take care of Yet, but I would not like to hear that you hurt her and give her pain).
It was 20 years later that I would finally meet her again-- not as a shy, blushing stranger whom she  wholeheartedly welcomed  to spend new year away from home,  but as a member of her close-knit family. I had just retired from the Philippine National Police and Yet and I decided to make a life together in Baltimore. She was not as sprite and bouncy as she was years ago, but that  same pleasant smile and gregarious laughter that always defined every family gathering remained vibrant.  She may not have the same facility for more fluent English communication, but she more than made up for this with her wisdom, humor and rare gift of laughter--which is the universal language of the heart and soul. Mom to her children and Lola to her grandchildren and great grand children, she was very generous to a fault. She had something for everyone on every important occasion--birthdays, thanksgiving, Christmas. To her, doting on her family was actually her one most important gift for herself.  In return, she was abundantly showered with love and respect by her brood to the very end of her mortal life on earth.

Another enduring trait that I had come to admire was her fierce independence. She would always prefer to do things for herself, always wary to draw out her family from its comfort zone. Even during her waning days when the creepy shadow of impending death began to manifest itself, Mom still struggled to do her routine by herself. She would not  readily ask assistance to do even the littlest of things like warming her meals,  doing her laundry and sprucing her room. It was only when her frail body could no longer effectively respond to the command of her spirit did Mom "grudgingly" allow her family to take care of her every need.
Through all her pains and struggles, Mom never lost her  rare gift of smile and laughter.  The last few remaining days were a losing struggle for her, but that smile would always be there whenever she was conscious enough to discern things around her.  When she finally breathed her last, I knew she had that same smile as her Creator welcomed her to His kingdom of eternal bliss.
I first met Mom 32 years ago and she greeted and accepted me as his son with her all too familiar smile and laughter.  I would like to remember and thank her for the same gifts of love and laughter that always brightened the lives of every member of her family.
Rest in peace, Mom.  May your laughter fill the halls of heaven where you now rest in God's most blessed care.


Gen. Cris L. Maralit
Son In-Law

Mom... your leaving me is the FIRST sorrow I wept without you.  I miss you so much.

How can I go on with my life without you Mom.... it is so hard and painful but knowing you are with God in Heaven without pain and at peace is my only consolation.

Dearest Tia Coring, please bring with you in your eternal home my love, respect and daily prayers. Please pray for me. I love and miss you.

Lola Coring, at this time, I remember memories spent with you and mostly a memory of sitting with you, snacking and sharing a smile together. You had warmth in your eyes and thank you for your love, care, and kindness.

Lola Dear:
It has been two weeks. You are surely miss each and every day. I remember the days when I will call you to say hello and we often laugh about how you will ease your pain by saying "Oh I am not 19 years old"....Despite the pains that you feel each and every day, you manage to smile and continue with strong faith the love, smile and laugh you give each of us when we are around you or just talking to you on the phone.  How I wish I can still call you often just to ask how you are, but now that you are gone, I will always talk to you thru my prayers.  Now that the holidays are fast approaching, we will surely miss the programs that we often prepare for you as it is the only gift of joy we can give you that you've cherished all the time.  How I wish you were still here, but of course it is my selfishness of not wanting to lose you despite your aches and pains due to your declining health.  We are indeed, especially me knew that that day will come, but it was indeed hard to accept that it will come and it did came unexpectedly for me.  I miss you a lot Lola Dear and remember that you will always be in my heart.  Love and miss you Lola Dear.

 Dearest Lola, Your spirit and memory will be kept alive within all of us, your family. It is a painful loss for all of us and your laughter will be sorely missed. We pray that you are with God now with no more pain and one day we will all reunite doing our Christmas Program in Heaven with You.....Love Michael Ceriale

OBITUARY

Socorro Castillo Carandang

April 25, 1925 – November 16, 2016

Schimunek Funeral Home

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