Cecilia & Leocadio Guingon

Leo was born in San Isidro, Nueva Ecija, Philippines to Bonifacio Guingon and Adela Tinio, the youngest of eight children. Coming from a family of very modest means, he worked while pursuing a degree in Accounting at the University of the East in Manila. He became a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and retired from the Bureau of Internal Revenue as Senior Revenue Examiner.

In 1969, Leo met the founders and learned of the Deaf Evangelism Alliance Foundation (DEAF) Inc. in the Philippines and was deeply moved by their mission to provide assistance and education to the deaf community. After retirement, Leo dedicated himself to educating and sharing the gospel with hearing-impaired children by establishing a school for deaf children in his hometown of San Isidro, which is now fully integrated into the municipality’s school system.

After moving to New Jersey in 1971, Leo worked at the Jersey City Housing Authority until his retirement in the early 1990s as Chief Accountant.

Sally was born in General Tinio, Nueva Ecija, Philippines, the youngest child of Ildefonso Abesamis and Teodora Arevalo. Orphaned at eighteen, she put herself through college, became a teacher and earned Master’s degrees in Education and in Psychology. Sally was an elementary school principal and part-time college professor when she left the Philippines in 1971.

In New Jersey, Sally was a state-certified to teach English, grade school and special education. At the same time, she also continued her studies towards a Doctorate in Education. Because she was a great advocate of learning, Sally helped many younger relatives in the Philippines to complete their college education, hence unable to complete her Doctorate studies. Sally retired as a Kindergarten teacher in the early 1990s and moved back to the Philippines to help her husband Leo establish a school for the deaf in San Isidro.

Leo and Sally married on April 3, 1954, and were blessed with four children, eleven grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren. They were the loving parents of Teresa Maniquis (Ging), Victoria, Rommel (Carol), Erlinda Orense (Ariel); The cherished grandparents of Jamie (Tabitha), Jordan, Jennifer Maffei (Joey), Claire Martin (Marcus), Carson, Grace, Sophia, Ariellen, Megan, Steven, Bryan; and the adoring great-grandparents of Abigail, Ryan, Aiden, Mason; Grayson, Kaileb, Kaiden, Gideon, Quintessa; Luciana, Joseph, Carmela.

A memorial gathering of friends and family followed by a memorial service will be held for Leo and Sally at Mack Memorial Home, 1245 Paterson Plank Road, Secaucus, NJ, on Friday. August 14, at 11:00 am.