Last page of Mom's memorial service's program.
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Third page of Mom's memorial service's program.
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Second page of Mom's memorial service's program.
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First page of Mom's memorial service's program.
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My mom was an incredibly kind and generous person.  She was a strong woman and this strength shone through during her fight with cancer. She grew up with a large family, thirteen brothers and sisters. She was the heart of her family. One of her greatest passions is gardening. When she retired to the Philippines, she filled her front and side yards with an abundance of plants and flowers. She loved animals specially dogs. She was always worried about Jenny, her dog that she left behind in the Philippines. 

Although, she only enjoyed her retirement to the Philippines a short time, she was happy to be with her husband, Jim and the rest of her family. We looked forward to her visit once a year to be with us.  She told me this one story that happened while she was in the Philippines. There was this woman who would go harvest clams in the river and would go to the market to sell them, this woman didn’t have any shoes on and would walk for miles just to make money to feed her family. She would always stop by Mom’s house to ask her if she wanted some clams and Mom would buy the whole basket so that this woman would not walk any further to sell them. When my Mom saw her the next time, she had given her a pair of slippers. That was the kind of person Mom was, she had a heart of gold and always willing to help everyone. 

As long as I can remember she always wanted to work to provide not only for my brother and me but for her whole family. She helped me raise Jazmyn and Tianna, she loved them so much. When I went to the Philippines in February to see her, she kept telling me that she wanted to get stronger so she could come back to the U.S. to be with my girls and to seek better medical help but unfortunately her cancer was too advanced. 

Mom lived with me since Jazmyn was born in 1992. She worked at the Capitol Flea Market in San Jose for several years and continued to work after we moved to Stockton in 1996. She did not want to quit her job because she was supporting one of my Aunts and her two kids who lived in the Philippines. She helped put my Aunt’s kids through college and now they’re living a better life because of her. 

I will always cherish the times I had with her. She used to wake up at the crack of dawn and you could hear her humming downstairs while making her coffee or washing the dishes then watered her plants. I am a late riser and I used to tell her “Ma, I’m trying to sleep, keep it down please”, well I’m going to miss hearing her hum her favorite songs, I would give up anything to listen to her voice once again. 

Towards the end of her life, she was always talking about the people who she cared about the most. She was always calling for her husband, Jim, her nephew, Joel, her sister in-law Josie and she even talked about her dog Jenny. She would call on her sisters Lillian, Lourdes and Edna. One night, I was laying my head on the table next to her bed and she woke up and said “let’s go to sleep now, come lay next to me”. Another incident was when I went to the corner of the room and she couldn’t see me, she asked  Dad “Where’s my best friend” and Dad asked “Who?” and she replied “Gina”. My heart just melted, I will always remember those moments.  I know it’s hard for everyone to accept her death but it’s a comfort to know that her pain is all over now. She is now our angel. 

Thank you for everything you did for our family, friends, and me over the years. I couldn’t have asked for a better mom. We love you for eternity. May you rest in paradise. 

Estelita passed peacefully from this life the morning of June 13, 2013 from her battle of breast cancer. She was surrounded and supported by her loving family during the days of her life. Estelita was born in the Philippines and moved to the U.S. in 1988. Estelita and her husband Jim, retired to the Philippines in 2005 but visited her family in Stockton every year. 

Estelita is survived by her husband, Jim Maloney, 2 children: Gina Love and Bobby Clemente, 6 grandchildren; Jazmyn and Tianna Love, Mark, Kathryn, Ryan and Princess Clemente and great grandchild: Sherika and her nephew Joel Dacuma who she considered  her son. Estelita is also survived by her sisters Lourdes Gatchalian, Edna Dacuma and Lillian Aquino and her brothers Romeo, Jose, Peter, Wilson and Danny Dacuma, 47 nephews and nieces and her step-mother, Linda Dacuma. She was preceded in death by her parents Genaro and Maria Dacuma, brothers Amado, Rogelio and Eduardo and sister Yolanda Dacuma.