Mommy was born on March 6, 1929 in Paco, Manila Philippines to parents Hilarion Cruz and Juanaria Calub.  Her childhood years were spent with her nephew Moreno Cruz and niece Leonor "Ate Nene" Cruz. Mommy was only 12 years old when World War II broke out. She endured the hardships and sufferings brought about by the war.  After the liberation in 1945, Mommy worked at the Three Thirteen Hospital, a hospital for American servicemen. It was in this hospital that she met Esperanza (Tia Panching) Centeno who eventually became her best friend.  Through Tia Panching, she met Antonio " Tony" Bautista, a first cousin of Tia Panching,  They fell in love and got married on June 16, 1951.  They were blessed with 11 children, 6 girls and 5 boys.  Their union produced a doctor (pulmologist/pediatrician based in Washington DC), a lawyer, a teacher, accountant, office managers, servants of the Lord Jesus Christ among others. She led a truly devoted life of a wife and a mother.  She was a very faithful servant of God.