Ladislao Duco Magbual

Ladislao Duco Magbual 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.

Ladislao was born on March 4, 1939 at home in Badoc, Ilocos Norte, Philippines. His parents were Florencio and Nicolasa Magbual. Ladislao was raised in Badoc, Ilocos Norte, Philippines. 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 Magbual 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, Ladislao 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. Ladislao was raised with five siblings. He had one sister and four brothers. Ladislao was constantly involved in activities with his brothers and sisters. Ladislao and his siblings may have had the typical rivalries while growing up but Ladislao was always consistently loyal to his family.

As a young child, Ladislao 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. Ladislao 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. Ladislao took part in baseball. In his spare time he enjoyed mountaineering and was also a nature lover. However, what Ladislao enjoyed most was simply playing and spending time with his many friends.

While his teachers and even his friends generally thought of Ladislao 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 Juan Luna Memorial Academy in 1956. He enjoyed some courses more than others, having favorite classes and teachers. His favorite class in high school was English and Music. The teacher he enjoyed learning from the most was Ms. Severina Laforteza. Ladislao was a very logical person who enjoyed learning about factual information. Using his exceptional memory, he was able to learn much through observation. Ladislao 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.

Always considered to be a solid friend, Ladislao was fortunate to have numerous acquaintances and several very close friends during his life. Since he disliked making generalizations about people and preferred to draw his own conclusions based on direct observation, Ladislao was able to see beneath the surface of relationships and became a true friend to those who knew him. He was committed to his friends and valued the trust he placed in them. It was not uncommon for Ladislao to go beyond the call of duty for others, and friends frequently sought him out for advice because he had a knack for coming up with practical solutions to any type of dilemma. While growing up, some of his best friends were Rogelio Duco, Bernardo Magbual, Rodolfo Salviejo, Reynaldo Baldivino, and Ernesto Gascon. Later in life, he became friends with Aurelio Duco, Agustin Cabading, Alejandro Navarro, Cirilo Navarro, and Orlino Esperitu.

On July 4, 1959 Ladislao exchanged wedding vows with Crispina Cresencia A. Magbual at the St. Dominic Church in Sto Domingo Ilocos Sur, Philippines. Compassionate and devoted to Crispina, Ladislao 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 Crispina and using his gifts at nurturing one-on-one relationships, he worked hard to make his new family happy.

Ladislao 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. Ladislao 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. Ladislao was blessed with nine children, seven sons, Hannibal, Arnold, Florante, Rey, Froylan, Reynante and Hasdrobal, and two daughters, Jenny Loraine and Michiel. He was also blessed with twenty-one grandchildren, Hamil Kart, Kin Denver, Hanz Christian, Chennie Kaye, Krizza Mae, Micaela, Laarni, Daryl Hanzel, Darold Henry, Darvy Hazel, John Hansley, Michael Jerome, Joshua Noel, Carl Andrew, Franz Benedict, Aubrey Ellyza, April Monica, John Rey, Guian Carlo, Hannah Nicole, Hanzon Nero, and Jasmine Faith.

Ladislao 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. Ladislao 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, Ladislao 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 farmer. He was employed for 36 years as a self-employed farmer. After moving to the United States, he found work as a golf course groundskeeper for 7 years and as a San Jose Airport Screener for 3 years. Ladislao worked hard to be a team player, doing what was necessary in order to get the job done.

Ladislao 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, Ladislao always tried to allocate a specific time for working on his hobbies. His favorite pursuits were watching movies, fishing, biking, eating out, and walking in the park. Ladislao was content to enjoy his hobbies alone but was also willing to share his interests with others.

Ladislao 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. In high school, Ladislao played baseball, basketball, and track and field. Recreational sports included jogging and baseball. He would watch his favorite sporting events whenever he got the opportunity. Tops on his list were baseball and football.

Ladislao was a man who was dedicated and devoted to his faith. He was a member of St. Brother Albert Polish Mission Catholic Church. He was a sympathetic man who valued his beliefs and was willing to work tirelessly for them.

Ladislao enjoyed traveling and taking vacations. Since he was an early starter and had a knack for planning everything, traveling with Ladislao appeared effortless. He enjoyed researching all of his examined options and applying cost-effective planning techniques. Plus, no matter where he traveled, Ladislao always had a backup plan at the ready, just in case. Favorite vacations included Las Vegas, Hawaii, and the Philippines.

Ladislao was a lover of animals and cherished his pets. One of Ladislao’s favorites was his pomeranian dog. They were best friends for 16 years.

When Ladislao’s retirement finally arrived in 2007, 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 being active in the Church. Even in retirement, Ladislao 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.

Ladislao Duco Magbual passed away on February 10, 2012 at Regional Medical Center in San Jose, California. Ladislao fought a brave battle against liver cancer. He is survived by his wife Crispina; his children Hannibal, Arnold, Florante, Rey, Froylan, Reynante, Hasdrobal, Michiel, and Jenny; and his 21 grandchildren. Services were held at Holy Trinity Church in San Jose, California. Ladislao was laid to rest in Oak Hill Memorial Park in San Jose, California.

Commitment is a key word that can be used to describe the life of Ladislao Duco Magbual. 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.