Bernabe Serios

Bernabe Serios was a modest man, quiet and observant in his ways. He was trustworthy and traditional in his approach to his life and in his relationships. He was tough-minded with the kind of “stick to it” attitude that earned the respect of all who knew him. He was also a man who was meticulous, carefully disciplined, and orderly in virtually everything he undertook. Realistic about life, he was always at the ready, prepared to take on responsibility.

Bernabe was born on May 20, 1925 in San Nicolas, Pangasinan, Philippines. His parents were Victor and Antonina Serios. Bernabe was raised in the Philippines, Guam, and then resided in the U.S. He was brought up to be self-confident and dependable. These were traits that would serve him well throughout his life.

Growing up in the Serios household was a bit different than most homes. There were good times to be had, but just as often there was a fair share of challenges as well. However, Bernabe was able to work through the usual family problems when they appeared, and he was the one person in the family who seemed able to keep the stress at bay. Bernabe was raised with two siblings. He had two younger brothers, Christobal and Victor. Bernabe was constantly involved in activities with his brothers. Bernabe and his siblings may have had the typical rivalries while growing up but Bernabe was always consistently loyal to his family.

As a young child, Bernabe was never someone who needed to be the center of attention. He wasn’t pushy and never forced his way into games or other activities. Bernabe developed a variety of interests, though, and the things he enjoyed doing he did well. He was always curious about the world around him and was often eager to explore it. Bernabe took part in biking. However, what Bernabe enjoyed most was simply playing and spending time with his many friends.

While his teachers and even his friends generally thought of Bernabe as being a serious person, he managed to have a pretty good time in high school as he made that critical transition from adolescence to adulthood. He graduated from Red Arrow High School in San Nicolas, Pangasinan, Philippines in 1943. He enjoyed some courses more than others, having favorite classes and teachers. His favorite class in high school was history. Bernabe was a very logical person who enjoyed learning about factual information. Using his exceptional memory, he was able to learn much through observation. Bernabe always seemed to have a command of the facts and was able to make it seem as though he could easily master any problem that might be presented to him.

On April 18, 1951 Bernabe exchanged wedding vows with Felisa Francia at the Roman Catholic Church of San Nicolas, Pangasinan, Philippines. Compassionate and devoted to Felisa, Bernabe held endearing, traditional values about marriage and family life. He took the responsibility of marriage to heart, giving it his total commitment. He was a source of strength to Felisa and using his gifts at nurturing one-on-one relationships, he worked hard to make his new family happy.

Bernabe brought the same traditional values in his marriage to bear on how he raised his children. He was a good parent to them, always firm yet fair in his dealings. He would always listen carefully and think things through before he acted, even when it was an adverse situation. Bernabe was also a walking schedule, always seeming to know what everyone in the family needed to do, where they needed to be and when they needed to be there. Bernabe was blessed with four children. He had three sons, Ricarte, Ferdinand, and Jason, and one daughter, Cynthia. They were also blessed with five grandchildren, Jan, Jacob, JJ, Kayla, and Jared.

Bernabe greatly enjoyed what he did for a living. He was a hard worker who expected the same in return from his co-workers. He was skilled at working effectively in small groups and in one-on-one situations as well as handling solo assignments efficiently. Bernabe enjoyed dealing with concrete ideas and could penetrate any amount of fuzzy information to reach the essential facts. Always able to attend to the task at hand, Bernabe was excellent at meeting deadlines. He was an efficient worker, one who paid careful attention to detail, allowing sufficient time to complete one task before moving on to the next. His primary occupation was as a machinist. He was employed for over 11 years in the industry. Bernabe worked hard to be a team player, doing what was necessary in order to get the job done.

Bernabe liked to experience things first-hand as well as learn about them. This trait carried over into his hobbies, where he was very methodical in how he organized his activities and categorized things. Since he enjoyed his private time, Bernabe always tried to allocate a specific time for working on his hobbies. His favorite pursuits were gardening, riding the public transit around town, and he loved finding deals at the flea market. Bernabe was content to enjoy his hobbies alone but was also willing to share his interests with others.

Bernabe found pleasure in sports. Being a person who was comfortable making win/lose decisions throughout life, he could appreciate that athletes made those types of decisions in sports. He applauded those who won, and he enjoyed the statistical data and sports facts and could find himself wrapped up in those details. He would watch his favorite sporting events whenever he got the opportunity. The sport he loved watching most was boxing.

Bernabe was a man who was dedicated and devoted to his faith. Bernabe was very religious. He loved to go to church every Sunday at Our Lady of Peace. He was a sympathetic man who valued his beliefs and was willing to work tirelessly for them.

When Bernabe’s retirement finally arrived in 1992, he was well prepared. He always trusted and placed value in what was logical and in the things he knew, so he was very confident in planning his retirement. He had begun the process early and had his retirement all laid out well in advance. His new life involved relocating to San Jose, California. In retirement, he found new pleasure in taking care of all his grandchildren. Even in retirement, Bernabe continued to stay in touch with his old friends while making plenty of new acquaintances. He was active in his new community and felt fulfilled.

Bernabe Serios passed away on June 3, 2010 at Regional Medical Center in San Jose, California. He is survived by his wife Felisa, children Ricarte, Ferdinand, Jason, and Cynthia, grandchildren Jan, Jacob, JJ, Kayla, and Jared, and his brother Victor. Services were held in the Chapel of Roses at Oak Hill Funeral Home in San Jose, California. Bernabe was laid to rest in Silayan Garden at Oak Hill Memorial Park in San Jose, California.

Commitment is a key word that can be used to describe the life of Bernabe Serios. He was committed to living the life of a good man who was both practical and trustworthy. He was committed to the traditional values that he upheld his entire life. He committed himself to being a hard worker who expected the same effort in return from those around him. Most of all, he was committed to those he knew and loved.