Carmen Mendiola Aquiningoc

Carmen was 78 years old and passed away peacefully in her sleep at home when God called her home to be with Jesus, our Lord and Savior, on Friday, November 30, 2012 at 2:25 p.m.

Carmen was known in the Chamorro community as "Auntie Mamie" or "Mamie" She supported her Chamorro heritage by participating in the Yona Fiestas here in San Diego for over 35 years. Carmen was known for her "red rice" by her family and for those who knew her well, she enjoyed going to the "Ranch" (Sycuan) every chance she got. Carmen was a loving and devoted mother who would give everything she had for her children without hesitation. She was an amazing grandmother who loved all her grandchildren equally and also helped raise the majority of them.

Carmen is preceded in death by her parents, Jose and Ursula Mendiola; husband Jesus F. Aquiningoc; brother Jesus Mendiola; and sister Antonia Quifunas.

Carmen Mendiola Aquiningoc leaves to cherish her memories and legacy her six children and their spouses: Patricia Santos (husband Frank), Paul Aquiningoc (wife Georgia), Joseph Aquiningoc (partner Jonathan), Jesse Aquiningoc (wife Maribeth), Dorothy Taitingfong (husband Johnny) and Leilani Phillips (husband Jamar); 15 grandchildren: Richard and Francisco Jr. Santos, Elizabeth Van; Marisa and Paul Jesus Aquiningoc; Anthony Zamora, Jordon, Matthew and Alexander James (A.J.) Aquiningoc; Johnny Jr., David and Janeen Taitingfong; LaDaniel Aquiningoc, Annie Rinaldi and DejaNae Phillips; 8 great-grandchildren: Miana, Talon and Xavion Santos; Gizelle Flores-Cardiel, Victoria and Valentyna Cardiel-Santos; and Alisha Santos and Marcus Van, Jr.; brother: Ignacio Mendiola; extended family: Veronica Tejero and Matthew and Denise Mendiola.

Expressions of Love from her children....

Mom, thank you for all that you have done for me and my family. Farewell my beloved mother. ~Laling Mom, just wanted you to know that both Georgia and I will deeply miss you and that you will always be in our hearts. We know you will be looking down on us. We LOVE you. ~Paul and Georgia I remember when Dad and I went fishing and brought home sacks and sacks and sacks of fish. Mom cleaned every single one of them! While we went to family and friends giving them away, it was a total of 98 cleaned fish. Mom if you are going fishing, it is DAD'S turn to clean the fish!!!...Mom we will always love and miss you!!! Tell Dad we love and miss him also~Joe and Jonathan Mom, you are the best mom any son could have. Thank you for sharing all 49 years of my life with me. I will miss you deeply but you will never be forgotten, for you will always light up my heart along with dad now, making me more than I am. Love you. ~Jesse To the best mom a daughter could ever have, you will always be in my heart. Thank you for loving me unconditionally. I love you mom ~Dorothy. Mom, I am at peace to know that you are with God and there will be no more sorrow, no more crying and no more pain. I will miss your Kadun Katne and Bisteak but will cherish the memories I have of you forever. Please give my daddy a hug and kiss for me and tell him that his baby girl misses and loves him dearly. I love you dearly Mom and I know that we will see each other again. ~Lani

Expressions of Love

Grandma, you were always there for us, doing everything in your power to keep us out of harm’s way. You taught us the difference between right and wrong; respect towards others and most importantly how to love. You constantly showered us with your gentle kisses and always made everything better when we came crying to you. We cannot thank you enough for your strength, guidance, and most importantly your unconditional love that you shared with us growing up. You will forever be in our hearts and prayers. I love you Grandma. ~Richie • Grandma, I will forever be grateful to you for the mother you blessed me and my family with. While it saddens our family that you are no longer here, we know you are in heaven with grandpa smiling down on us until we meet again. ~Frankie Boy • We love you grandma. ~Love Bing, Marcus, Alisha and Marcus, Jr. • We will always remember how you loved us unconditionally…Grandma you will forever be in our hearts. ~Misa & Jun (tuna) • I will miss your kindness…I will miss you. ~Maribeth • Thanks Grandma for taking care of me when I was a lil’ kid and for always making sure I was stuffed with your red rice, no-one will replace it. Love you Grandma and I’ll see you soon. ~Jordon • Thank you for taking care of me when I was in preschool, Love you. ~A.J. • Mom, thank you for the love and respect you’ve always given us, you will forever be in our thoughts. ~Johnny. • Thank you for loving me unconditionally. Thank you for pushing me to be better each and every time, regardless of how big or small the subject. I’ll never forget how tight you held my hand the day I had to leave back home. I love you. Say hi to grandpa for me, and I truly hope you’re happy up there. ~Lil’ Johnny • Thank you for everything Grandma; I wouldn’t be who I am today if it weren’t for how you raised me. Love and miss you always. ~David • You’re the best grandma ever and I love everything you did for all of us, not just me. Thank you for caring for us, loving us and being the most loving grandma ever. I love you grandma and I know you’re watching over us. ~Janeen • “We are confident yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.” (2Cor 5:8) ~Jamar • Thank you Grandma for always being there for me when it was needed. Living with you my whole life was a great blessing. Love you and will miss you and your slipper. ~LaDaniel (Dano) • Thank you for being an amazing grandma and for taking care of me since I was born. I loved all of your food and your sense of humor. But want you to know that I love you very much and you’ll be in my heart forever! ~Love DejaNae • Dear Grandma: I don’t feel like I got to know you very well. I wish I could’ve had the chance to share my life with you, but I am grateful that I was able to meet you, however brief our time together was. I remember the first time I met you. You took my face in your hands and looked at me like you’ve been waiting for that moment. It almost didn’t seem real at first. I’ve never really been able to walk and talk with and hold any of my grandparents that I can remember. It was strange to be next to someone that I’ve only known for a few hours, but that I instantly felt connected with. You didn’t speak much, kind of like me, but you didn’t have to. I could look at your face or feel your touch and know that I was loved. And I’m thankful to have met someone like you. I want you to know that I love you and that you don’t need to feel any more pain. You are at peace, and I will remember nothing but the best of you. With all my love, I thank you for being there even when I wasn’t. I thank you for welcoming me into your family; our family. And I hope with all my heart that you are happy and free and can smile and look down on the rest of us with tearless eyes. I know it would mean the world to so many. Goodbye Grandma. Your loving granddaughter. ~Annie • Eternal Peace be with you in Heaven Mom, we love and miss you. Forever in our hearts…~The Tejero Family • You are a true friend and my best friend…I will miss you each day that passes…the memories we shared, the good times we had will never erase. I love you. Your true and best friend. ~Linda

Special thanks to: Al and Terry Ogo, Jeanette and Kiana Ogo-Brown, Terry & Jay Quitugua , Mike & Gina Taitingfong, Matt & Denise Mendiola, Jerry and Daylon Gamble, Harold and Tami Bruce, Mary Blackwell, Naomi Phillips and The Sons and Daughters of Guam Club.