Hermenegildo Benavidez Mislang, beloved son, husband, father, brother, uncle, grandfather, and community leader, passed away in his Las Vegas, Nevada home on February 23, 2021. He was 67 years old.
Born January 7, 1954, Gil was the eldest son of the late Feliciano Mislang Sr. and Felicidad Benavidez Mislang. He is survived by his wife Violeta, sons Jan-Michael and Christopher Mislang, mother Felicidad, siblings Elena Angeles, Feliciano Jr. Mislang, Patricia Mislang, Rodolfo Mislang, Arlene Rydeen and Aurora Youngblood, and grandchildren Ayden Thomas, Stella Lynn and Ashton Michael.
Gil was born in Mangatarem, Pangasinan in the Philippines and came to the United States in the late-1950’s as his father was a serviceman in the United States Navy.
Gil attended Far Eastern University in Manila, Philippines where he achieved his degree of Bachelor of Science in Chemistry in 1976. It is here that Gil also met his future wife, Violeta Abesamis. They married in 1978 and lived in Downey, California for more than 42 years, raising two boys along the way. Their Downey home was filled with joyous moments over the years from numerous social gatherings, family get-togethers, holiday festivities, and pool parties.
Gil was employed by Dunn-Edwards Paints (Maywood, CA) and served in several capacities including Lab Technician, Quality Control Chemist, R&D Chemist, Director of New Product Development, and Director of Research. In 1991, he attended and completed UCLA’s Graduate School of Management, Executive Program. Gil was active in the Southern California Section of American Chemical Society, serving offices of Program Chair, Secretary, Alternate Councilor, Nominations & Elections Chair, and Member-At-Large of the Executive Committee. In 2009 he was awarded the Sister Agnes Ann Green Award for Distinguished Service in recognition of his contributions to the Section. Over the course of his career, Gil had opportunities to travel to various countries such as Germany, the Netherlands, Mexico, China, and Thailand. He often looked forward to the Annual Waterbourne Symposium in New Orleans, LA where he would find time to visit his favorite restaurants, the Commander's Palace, and Cafe Du Monde. He retired in 2012 after 33 years of service.
Gil was dedicated to serve and support the Filipino community, working with various programs to support non-profit organizations such as Philippine Disaster Relief Organization (PeDRO), Kalayaan, Inc. and the Filipino American Service Group, Inc. (FASGI).He had also served as President of the Association of Mangatarem Overseas Residents (AMOR) and Pangasinan Brotherhood of America.Gil was committed to promoting the welfare of Filipino World War II veterans and paying tribute to their heroic deeds through his active engagement with the Philippine Scouts Heritage Society (PSHS).
Over the years, Gil’s interests ranged from outdoors activities such as playing golf and basketball to recreational target shooting and deep-sea fishing. Although Gil and Violet had moved to their new home in Las Vegas by February 2020, he was greatly excited to celebrate his favorite hometown teams, the Lakers and the Dodgers, win back-to-back championships by the end of the year. He had a passion for cooking and fine dining and would gladly give a great recommendation for just about any type of restaurant, and he was never wrong.
Gil was generous and kind during the holidays and family gatherings, and continually carried the responsibility as Patriarch of the Mislang family. He took great delight in the progress of his nieces, nephews, and grandchildren. He will be missed greatly by his family, friends and colleagues.
