On March 30, 2021, Deogracias (known as "Ding" or "Dino" by many) left this earth, six months away from celebrating his 74th birthday -- a milestone that held personal pride for him. Those who knew him -- as a brother, colleague, father, friend, godfather, grandfather, husband, mentor, musician, or other relative -- will remember him for his dry, observational, sardonic wit expressed through his storytelling (often making himself laugh in the process!).
Ding’s sense of adventure and creative spirit was influenced by his childhood growing up in the Philippines. As a kid, he loved to read comic books, ride his bike to school, and play made-up games with his siblings and other local friends. In his later years, he was the lead guitarist in their band. Ding was heavily influenced by the stylings of the Dave Clark Five, The Beatles, and other countless musicians and genres. And this sense of adventure led him to New York City, where he met his “Sweet,” and subsequent wife of 40+ years, Juliet (or “Jet”).
Dino’s “Sweet,” Jet, lovingly recalls that she fell in love with Ding because he is a “self-made man.” This was further exemplified as they built their life in New York City, including helping younger siblings with their academics and new lives in New York City. His siblings regarded him as an important, successful mentor in their lives. He had great love for his family and their legacy, which has been passed on to his ‘Three Js” (Jason, Judy and Joel), their spouses (Jamie and Juan), and his grandchildren (Jiselle, Julian, JD, and Jace).
In his adventurer, dogmatic spirit, Ding has said over the years he was not afraid of death. He said he knows he’s “lived a blessed, good, long life” -- which calls to mind simultaneously one of his favorite mantras, “When you’re right, you’re right,” and lyrics to a favorite Beatles song, “In my hour of darkness, she is standing right in front of me, speaking words of wisdom, let it be."
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