Dr. Aquilino Cubangbang

Aquilino Carnate Cubangbang was born on January 4, 1931 in Bacara, Ilocos Norte, but grew up in Cabagan, Isabela. He was a dutiful son, helping his father on the farm: planting , harvesting, selling rice, corn and tobacco as well as tending to their carabao. The oldest son of eight siblings, he had a great responsibility to watch over his brother and sisters. He was kind and generous to them, even supporting some of them through college.

He met his future wife, Gloria, at Far Eastern Hospital where he was a surgeon in training and she was a nursing student. A classmate of theirs (who also happened to be a relative of Lino) thought it would be good to introduce them, since they lived in the same province in Isabela. Gloria noticed that Lino was never showy nor talkative. She would often find him sitting quietly in the corner of a room reading a book; he was an avid reader who enjoyed collecting books. What a perfect match: a doctor and a nurse! They were married on May 4, 1962. Early in his career, Lino volunteered his services as a captain in the Philippine Army. After his short stint in the army, he went to work at Victoriano Luna Hospital as a surgeon.

While Lino and Glo were working on expanding their family, his wife had two miscarriages. With the third pregnancy, the OB/GYN doctor warned Lino that if he wanted this child to survive, his wife had to stop working. Lino immediately gave up his practice in the city and returned, along with his pregnant wife, to their province in Cabagan, Isabela and set up a clinic. There the people didn’t have very much money, so he was sometimes paid with vegetables, eggs, chickens or even pigs. The people were grateful for his services since he was the only doctor in the area. When it came to his extended family, he offered his services for free. He was a strict uncle and disciplined his nephews and nieces; but they knew it was out of love and concern for their welfare. He often warned them that if they didn’t work hard, they would end up living a difficult life as farmers.

His daughter, Melanie, was born on December 18, 1965. Wanting a better future for his family, the Cubangbangs immigrated to Los Angeles, California in 1968. Lino and Glo worked alternating shifts to care for their young daughter; but when they had their son, Joel, on February 10, 1970, Lino sacrificed his career to be a stay-at-home dad. He did this way before it was trendy and socially acceptable. He did everything: cooked, cleaned, and gardened. He was the family chauffeur and took everyone to work, school, church and many, many social and sports events.

Always looking for better opportunities, the Cubangbang family moved to Hawaii in 1972. The people were so warm and welcoming, and the laid back atmosphere made life very enjoyable. At the end of every workweek, they would tour the island and stop at one of the beaches for a picnic. The gorgeous blue waters of the Pacific, the white sand beaches and the warm tropical weather felt like a little piece of heaven on Earth. However, the high cost of living there drove them back to California.

Wanting to put down roots, Lino and Glo moved their family to a small town in Southern California. Carson was a great place to raise kids: there was a lot of diversity, the schools were great, the neighbors were friendly, the mall and movie theater were nearby, and the parks and beaches were just a short drive away. Here their children grew up, graduated junior then senior high, then went off to college. Lino was proud of the accomplishments of his children, placing every trophy, medal and certificate on the living room mantle; they eventually overflowed to the top of the piano.

In 1979, Lino became a deacon in the Iglesia Ni Cristo / Church of Christ in the locale congregation of Long Beach. His home became the hub for many gatherings: weekly bible studies, meetings, barbeques, parties and even the wedding reception of his daughter. When their adult kids left home, Lino and Glo allowed extended family members and a few friends to stay with them, so the house was constantly buzzing with activity. Lino was a dedicated servant of God who always followed what God wanted him to do, so when time came when both his son and son-in-law were called into the ministry, he gave them his blessing.

When Glo retired in 2005, Lino and Glo were free to travel to the different places where their children were assigned. They toured Northern California, Wisconsin, Arizona, Colorado, Texas and even to their homeland in the Philippines. They made sure to visit the hospitals that each grandchild was born in. Lino was a doting grandfather and loved to spoil his grandkids with McDonald’s happy meals (they have the best toys!).

Even though Lino was getting up there in age, he was a fighter. He survived a heart attack and three separate episodes of post-operative hemorrhaging (bleeding out). It just wasn’t his time to go; he had one more grandchild that he had to witness being born.

In 2009, Lino and his wife left the locale of Long Beach to become two of the pioneering members of the Torrance locale. There, he was promoted to Head Deacon. Despite already being a senior citizen, he would accompany the minister for visitations, bible studies and other church activities.

2012 marked Lino and Glo’s 50th wedding anniversary. They decided to renew their vows in a beautiful ceremony at the Long Beach Chapel that included their closest friends and family. Lino and Glo were an inseparable couple, they went everywhere together. He was the unofficial photographer at all church, social and sports activities. When he went completely bald, he started wearing his signature ball caps in order to join in the picture taking.

The Covid-19 pandemic lockdown in 2019 was devastating to the mental health of Lino. Family members were noticing that he would sometimes get lost while driving around at night, then he started repeating the same questions during conversations - dementia was setting in. It was a difficult struggle searching for competent doctors to take over his care, putting this legal paperwork in order, and renovating his house to be a safer place to live as he declines. It seemed like an uphill battle; but with the help of many close friends and family, everything was settled and life got back to a routine.

It was March of this year that Lino’s kidney function started taking a sharp nosedive, according to his doctor he was not a candidate for dialysis nor a kidney transplant. It was a race to sign him up on hospice, so that we could honor his wishes to die at home. He was adamant that he would not wind up as a “vegetable” connected to machines at the hospital. At the end stage of his life, it was his strong will and unwavering faith that kept him going. There were only a few things that would bring joy to his day: sitting out in the sun, visits from friends and family, listening to music, and eating poke. As a retired doctor, he knew how grave his situation was, and at one point he made the conscious decision to stop all his routine medications. His body filled up with fluid, he had trouble breathing and he no longer could get out of bed. The hospice nurse made sure that he was given the proper medications for his comfort. We knew he wouldn’t have much time, so Lino’s family and friends sensed the urgency to call and visit. His son and son-in-law called to pray with him, and soon after that, he passed away peacefully in his sleep.

Lino lived a fulfilling and active life. He was strong-willed but soft-hearted, and generous with everyone he met. He was successful and worked hard to give his family everything they needed. He has many friends and family who love him dearly. He has finished his race as a member of the Church of Christ, so now he is at rest. We will remember him fondly for his laugh, his interesting stories and his quirky characteristics.

It is completely normal to grieve and cry for the loss of our loved one; but to truly honor his memory, when we’re finished crying and grieving, we should look back on all the wonderful memories, smile and laugh like he would have done.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.Funerariadelangelwilmington.com for the Cubangbang family.