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| Ate Mila Dela Cruz: A tribute to a great lady |
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LastTuesday, Nov. 3, we held a celebration commemorating the beautiful life of Milagros "Ate Mila" Dela Cruz—a caring, loving, hardworking and generous woman. She was 62 years young. At the Callanan & Woods Scovern Mortuary in Glendale, many of her friends gathered to reflect on her life, not to say goodbye but instead to say, "See you later!"
It was gratifying to see many people pay their last respects—a testament that she really did touch so many lives.
My good friend Sonny Madera said it best: Ate Mila’s passing brought about the blessing of bringing us all together once again.We heard very touching testimonies from many individuals who considered Ate Mila their adopted mother—her angels aka housemates, the Espiritu family, Pastor Henji Pimenta, Mike Arca, Marian Maraya, Tess, Belen, Mayet, Lou Sabas and of course, yours truly.
Alex Arieta, the University of Iloili Alumni Association, Sonny, and Ryan Gallagher dedicated heartfelt songs for our dear Ate Mila.Amontage of photos courtesy of Ted Talag and her friends were played at the celebration. Thank you Carla Montilla for putting the slideshow together. Isidric Panganiban was also on hand to video shoot the memorial celebration.It meant a lot to me that to see so many people attend Tuesday’s tribute to
Ate Mila. As Dr. Terry Pastor and Joel Pastor shared with via a condolence card, "At times like this, we can’t help remembering how fragile life is...and we can find strength in the love of family and the warm embrace of friends."There are so many emotions going through me even as I write this. Her death feels like losing a mother all over again.
Ate Mila was with me through my darkest hours. In times of crises, she was always ready to assist. She gave me what she had unconditionally without asking for anything in return.Many of the people she took care of testified of Ate Mila’s bottomless generosity. She was kind and giving. She was principled and hardworking. She could be stubborn at times. She lived a life of faith, integrity and simplicity.I will miss our lambingan, tampuhan, tarayan, sweetness, and closeness.
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