Romeo Achay Balein, age 74, of Hamilton and formerly of Manila, Philippines, passed away at his residence on Wednesday, May 25, 2011 after a lengthy illness. He was born in Manila on August 31, 1936 to Eustaquio and Marcelina (Achay) Balein. Romeo spent his boyhood in Manila and later in Taft, Samar after his family fled Manila to their ancestral home at the outset of World War II. He returned with family to Manila after the war and finished his secondary schooling at Paco Catholic School. He went on to graduate from the University of Neg. Occidental-Recoletos, Bacolod City, after studying Accounting. On January 1, 1968, he married Andrea Docena. Romeo worked a number of years for the Philippines Acetylene Company before working in the Philippines Government, first in the Dept. of Agrarian Reform and later in the Dept. of Budget and Management at Malacañang Palace. He retired from the Philippines Government and immigrated to the United States in April 1989 to join extended family already residing in Hamilton. Until his final retirement in 2006, he worked at numerous health care facilities in the area, namely Twin Towers Cincinnati and Heartland of Woodridge. He is survived by his wife of over 43 years, Andrea; two daughters, Rowena Balein (Philip Koshy) and Rizza (Chad) Balein-Lannes; sister, Lilia (Gonzalo) Adlao and brother, Marcos (Regina) Balein both of Los Angeles, CA; and four grandchildren, Jacob, Natalie, Nathan and Gabriella who were the cherished treasures of his life. Additionally, he was blessed with his cousins, the entire White family, Ellen, Ben, Lourdes, Milton, George, David, Johnny, Alice, Walter and Janette and their respective spouses, and the late Tom and Patrick; numerous brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, including Olivia, Shiony, Samuel, Effie, Reynaldo, Regina, Raul and Lloyd along with their spouses and the late Elaine and Lolita; and countless nieces and nephews all across the world. He was also preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Rev. Fr. Rene A. Balein. Romeo will be remembered as a loving husband and father who led a life steeped in his faith as a staunch Catholic with uncompromising integrity. He was a proud author, poet and history buff, never one to shy from a healthy debate or a good beer. Visitation will be held on Monday, May 30, 2011 from 4:00pm-7:00pm at Webb Noonan Kidd Funeral Home, Ross Avenue at South “D” Street, Hamilton. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Tuesday, May 31, 2011 at 10:00am at St. Peter in Chains Church, 382 Liberty Avenue, Hamilton with Father Ronald C. Haft officiating. Burial will follow at St. Stephen’s Cemetery in Hamilton. The family would like to express their heartfelt gratitude to the many doctors, nurses and Mercy Hospital, Fairfield who helped Romeo fight a long battle. A special thanks also to the wonderful staff from Hospice of Cincinnati who took care of Romeo in his final months. In lieu of flowers, the family asks donations to be made to Hospice of Cincinnati, Inc., P.O. Box 633597, Cincinnati, OH 45263 or to the American Cancer Society, 2808 Reading Road, Cincinnati, OH 45206.
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