Dear Melcon and family, Your mother will always be with you in the lessons she gave, the life she shared and the love she showed.  
May all your beautiful memories of her comfort you and bring peace.
We will miss her so much!  She was a very nice Nana and has a big heart.

With deepest sympathy,
Letty Y. Tuazon

Dear Mom, it was very difficult to see you endure the pain of a broken femur that occurred more than three years ago.  From that time on, you became bedridden, and I could only imagine how hard it was for you to be in that position.  In spite of your hardship and condition at over 102 years old, you still managed to have simple conversations, sing Ilocano and English songs.  When I quizzed you multiplication, you had always spontaneously answered correctly.  
I want to express my gratitude to my sister manang Linda, manong Rudy and manang Nena for providing you with their constant and special care 24/7 for almost 10 years.  I thank my wife Cita and Nati for their care and assistance during your first few years in San Jose.
Now that you passed away, we know that you are in good hands and in a better place with the Lord.  We hope that you will reunite with Dad, Lolo, Lola, uncle, aunties and our relatives in Heaven.
Mom you were a wonderful and an amazing mother, to sum it up, you were a great mom.  I'm very fortunate to be your son.  I thank you for the love you have shown me and to my family.  I'm so grateful for all the unconditional support and advice throughout my 65 years.
Mom, wherever you are, please watch over us, your children, grandchildren and especially your great-grandchildren.  I love you very much mom.  You will always be in our thoughts and in our hearts.  Rest in Peace Mom.

My memories growing up and visiting her in Hawaii were always of her gardening, her front and back yard with all her plants and fruit trees. She would wake up at early light and be working outside, she would have done so much by the time we woke up. I have memories of going to the beach with her & she would pick limu or seaweed in the ocean, buckets full, for seaweed salads to eat. I remember her always sewing something behind her machine. She sewed many of her clothes, made many quilted bedspreads, window curtains, embroidered purses, even the sun hats that were used by her co-workers in the sugar cane fields.  I remember her strong hands not just for doing yardwork but for giving us great massages. I remember her being active in the senior community, having friends always stopping by the house to visit with her or to take her out. We of course will always remember her cigar breaks during the day where she would sit or squat on the ground outside smoking her cigar that she would have rolled herself, with the lit end of the cigar inside her mouth.  I remember seeing her feisty side as well, those of us who know Lola know what I mean but that was our Lola. Even though she may have had this strong personality, she was still a caring woman. During her later years after she moved to San Jose when she was 93, she would come to my house to visit the kids  and if she were sitting in the backyard, she would pull weeds, doing yardwork, just like back in Maui. She loved watching the kids play or sing and dance in front of her. She would sing her songs to them. During this time, she was still so sharp. I loved to play our favorite card game, Burro, with her. I loved that we could get her to color in the calming adult coloring books and she could still read in her Ilocano Bible and solve math problems when we would ask her. I am grateful for the times we spent with her and that she was able to spend time with her great-grandkids. We love you so much , Lola, & miss you!

In loving memory of our mother, our Lola, our Auntie and our great-grandmother whom we lovingly called Lola-Lola.  Our Lola, Francisca Ballesteros Nicolas was born June 1st, 1919 in the city of Laoag, province of Ilocos Norte, Philippines and lived the long life of 102 years old. Her parents, Pablo Ballesteros and Eufemia Pascual Ballesteros had 8 children, Francisa being the second eldest. She is survived by one sister, Feliza. She and our Lolo, Modesto Nicolas had 2 children: Linda, who is married to Rudy Ancheta and Melcondes, who is married to Cita, and two adopted daughters, Lourdes and Norma. She has 9 grandchildren and 9 great grandchildren. Our Lola was a very strong and very independent woman. The stories that she used to tell us about her life & the stories I would hear were stories of a strong-willed, independent, hardworking, creative, smart, feisty, and caring woman. She was strong-willed even as a child -  Lola would always tell us the story of how in 6th grade, one of her teachers was mean to her and so she decided with encouragement from a friend, to quit school. She would have been around 12 years old.  She started to work at the age of 16 for a seamstress and learned the art of embroidery from this woman. Over the years she was renowned for her expertise in embroidery throughout Ilocos Norte, making gowns and dresses for the wives of governors, mayors and the affluent. She was sought after by many fashion shops for her embroidery craft but she remained loyal to the woman who taught her the trade and worked for her for 36 years. 
She married her husband, our Lolo, in Feb 1945 and he moved to Maui shortly after in 1946, going back and forth to the Philippines so she was truly an independent working woman,  making a living while our Lolo was also making a living living in America. She moved to America in 1971 with my Uncle Mel and she bravely flew by herself to Philadelphia the following year in 1972, to take care of her first grand-daughter, me.

One of the things that I would often reflect on as an adult was/is my inability to understand and speak Ilocano. It always made me sad to think that I couldn’t communicate fully with Lola Kikay. So many stories or conversations I missed out on because of this language barrier between us. Yet with all that being said, I learned over the years that love transcends language. 

I remember us sitting on the couch together watching tv when I was a little girl. She patted her lap as a gesture for me to lay my head down. And she just ran her fingers through my hair…over and over and over again. We sat there in silence, words unspoken but I knew right there where her heart lied and how much she adored me. I remember my heart swelling at that exact moment. I was little but I could feel it. And that’s a memory that I’ll forever hold near and dear to my heart. 

May the angels keep you safe. Rest in peace, Lola. We love and miss you! 

Mama Kikay as she was dearly nicknamed will be extremely missed. 
She had countless songs, poems and stories as her mind was still sharp even at 102 years of age. One of many memories that stands out to me about mama Kikay was in Oct 2012 in Maui,. The day my husband Mel and I flew her back to California. She was 93 years old then. That early morning, she refused to leave her house. All her emotions showed. I completely understood  after all she had lived in Maui for over 40 years. I was so worried for her. I was also worried because the following day it's my first day on a new job at Stanford Univ. It took couple of hours to calm her down after we explained to her that the move is for her health benefit and that we can take care of her better. She stayed at our home in San Jose for about 3 years, Manang Linda would take her every weekend. It was a big adjustment for us all but I realized quickly that it is even bigger for Mama Kikay. She went from living independently in Maui for many years to coming here and living in a full household with another elderly woman, my mom Sofia. Every morning before I left for work, I would sit down and eat breakfast with my mom Sofia and mama Kikay. My mom Sofia would eat very fast but mama Kikay eats very slow. My mom Sofia would look down at her plate and  because of her dementia, she would forget that she had eaten and try to take mama Kikay's food. From then on I would sit in between them and made sure the three of us finished our meals together. Those mornings were some of the most challenging, frustrating, funny and loving moments I had with them both. I feel blessed that I had that chance to be with mama Kikay here to serve and care for her. It's a small gesture but it's a memory I will cherish the rest of my life. Although her presence on earth will be dearly missed, her memories will live on in the lives of people she has touched. Rest in Peace Mama Kikay. 
With much love and affection, Cita Nicolas

Mom, we love you so much! You are at peace now with our Lord, no more pain, no more suffering. We’ll miss you a lot. Please look after us, especially your grandkids and great grandkids. Again, I love you so much.

OBITUARY

Francisca Ballesteros Nicolas

June 1, 1919 – February 6, 2022

Lima Family Erickson Memorial Chapel

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