Born and raised in the Philippines, while working as a model there, she had lived in Manila. She immigrated to the United States in the late 1970s, moving to Brooklyn. In 1989, she relocated to Great Kills.
Ms. Gatchalian worked for more than 10 years as a paraprofessional for the former city Board of Education in Brooklyn.
She enjoyed dining out, shopping and spending time with her family whom she treasured.
She was a parishioner of St. Clare's R.C. Church, Great Kills.
She is survived by her daughters, Raquel G. and Rena G. Cristobal; her sister, Remedios G. Nubla and her companion, Rene E. Cristobal.
The funeral will be Wednesday from the Casey McCallum Rice South Shore Funeral Home, Great Kills, with a Mass at 9:45 a.m. in St. Clare's Church. Burial will follow in Resurrection Cemetery, Pleasant Plains.
