Born in the Philippines on November 15, 1930 to Apolinario and Esmaela Carangal (née Reyes), Flor was the middle child to their nine children and first to pursue the field of medicine. She was a proud alumna of the University of the Philippines (UP) system graduating in 1955 from the UP College of Medicine with a degree in Obstetrics-Gynecology.
She took up her residency training for OB-GYN and General Practice in the United States from 1955 – 1963 where programs took her to hospitals in Cleveland and Lorain in Ohio, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She married classmate-turned-life partner Irineo “Jude” Gutierrez on February 6, 1960 with only three of her sisters in attendance. The newlyweds spent a residency year in Alberta, Canada during which she was pregnant with their first child. Her first 3 years as a General Practioner with special emphasis on Obstetrics were in Los Baños, Laguna, in the Philippines. The family returned to the US permanently in 1967, and the following year welcomed their daughter while at Marion, Indiana. They became naturalized US Citizens in 1971. Flor was a physician at the Buffalo Psychiatric Center for over 25 years. She is remembered as an “excellent physician” who was “wonderful as a friend” with a “great bedside manner” and “always considerate of patients and staff”.
Flor believed in giving back and was a supporter of many organizations focused on the welfare of veterans, animals, and the visually impaired, to name a few. As an active member of the UPMASA (UP Medical Alumni Society in America, the NJ-NY-CT Chapter of UPMAS), she continued to give back through its projects targeting “health care needs of the poorest of the poor in the Philippines”. Her last donations went to: “Project Braveheart” – Transcatheter Repair of Children’s Congenital Heart Defects, and “The Cesium Project” which benefits the PGH Cancer Institute Medical supplies for patient care, and updates to the infrastructure.
Flor looked forward to being reunited with her “Honey”, husband of 50 years, Jude. They will be ballroom dancing in no time. She is survived by her children Leslie and Cynthia (Steve) Rosenblatt, and grandchildren Lauren, Lindsey, and Alex Rosenblatt. “Ate Flor” to surviving siblings Rosalia, Luzviminda Santos, and Teodoro (Rita), she was preceded in death and will be welcomed by sisters Amparo dela Rosa, Reynalda Ramos, and Luz Carangal, brothers Apolinario Jr. and Virgilio, and nephew Mario dela Rosa. “Tita Flor” will be dearly missed and lovingly remembered by many nieces, nephews and friends.
Viewing will be held at the Perna, Dengler, Roberts Funeral Home in Williamsville, New York on Thursday, August 5 (3:00-5:00 and 6:00-9:00PM) and Friday, August 6 (9:00-10:00AM). Funeral mass will be at St. Gregory the Great Roman Catholic Church in Williamsville, NY at 10:30AM followed by the burial at Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Lockport, NY at 12:00NN.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in Flor's memory may be made to Operation Braveheart, UPMASA, c/o Treasurer Dr. Edwin Palileo, 2304 Kossuth St., Lafayette, IN 47904 or online at https://www.upmasanational.org/donations. Please indicate that your donation is in honor of Dr. Florentina Carangal Gutierrez ‘55.
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