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.
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.
Kuya Gil,
You’ve been a loving and caring older brother to me. I have always been thankful for your guidance and support especially when Tintin and Ryan were growing up. I knew that I could always count on you to listen and provide counsel whenever I needed advice throughout life. No matter how busy you were raising your own family and pursuing your own goals , you always made yourself available for us whenever I needed you. I will always remember our family gatherings throughout the years, especially during the holidays. You will always be in my heart. I love you big brother.
Your loving sis,
Pat
You’ve been a loving and caring older brother to me. I have always been thankful for your guidance and support especially when Tintin and Ryan were growing up. I knew that I could always count on you to listen and provide counsel whenever I needed advice throughout life. No matter how busy you were raising your own family and pursuing your own goals , you always made yourself available for us whenever I needed you. I will always remember our family gatherings throughout the years, especially during the holidays. You will always be in my heart. I love you big brother.
Your loving sis,
Pat
I just found out about Gil’s passing. Very sad. I’m related on my dad’s side, the Salomon family from Urbiztondo. (My parents are George and Lily Martin, who lived in San Diego.) We’ve lost touch over the years, but I always thought Gil had a kind, decent soul. My profound condolences. Please contact me at nitrama@gmail.com— I don’t use social media.
Working with Gil at Dunn-Edwards was a special time; his sharing of information to the sales team was invaluable, his patience with us was great, and his love of teaching us so we could understand was immeasurable... As a friend he was always gentle and kind. He will always have a special place in my heart as he was there to help when others were not. He will always be in my thoughts and prayers. My sincere condolences to family.
First off, I’d like to thank everyone who has sent their condolences to our family. All the phone calls, emails and messages have meant so much to us. We appreciate all the memories you have shared. Our family has so many stories to tell about our father and I’d like to share one with you.
Our father gave my brother and I a pretty good life. He taught us many things which made us who we both are today. When we were old enough, he would wake us up early on the weekends to start cleaning up the backyard. He taught us the importance of cutting trees down and saving the wood so we can use in the fire place, or so we thought. After hours of trimming down the trees we would place them in a spot our dad told us to put them. Few minutes later, he would change his mind then Chris and I would move it to the “approved” designated area. It would take another hour or so but we would get it done. The next weekend we would move it back to the “new” approved area. We moved pots, plants, bricks, and other miscellaneous items back and forth, here and there, until he was happy. It would eventually end up in the original location. Then his moving tendencies moved into the house. Rearranging furniture every other month. Looks good here, might look better there...it was never the same. My friends would come by and hang out and noticed that we where constantly moving stuff around. My son Ayden even has some stories of helping grandpa moving old war re-enactment stuff from the garage to the shed, then moving it back from the shed to the garage. There was even some rumors that he made my cousin Allan do the same things at work, moving filing cabinets and desks. There was never a dull moment on the weekends with our dad.
He will truly be missed. I know he is up there with his father keeping an eye on us and watching all of us grow and putting things in their rightful place.
Our father gave my brother and I a pretty good life. He taught us many things which made us who we both are today. When we were old enough, he would wake us up early on the weekends to start cleaning up the backyard. He taught us the importance of cutting trees down and saving the wood so we can use in the fire place, or so we thought. After hours of trimming down the trees we would place them in a spot our dad told us to put them. Few minutes later, he would change his mind then Chris and I would move it to the “approved” designated area. It would take another hour or so but we would get it done. The next weekend we would move it back to the “new” approved area. We moved pots, plants, bricks, and other miscellaneous items back and forth, here and there, until he was happy. It would eventually end up in the original location. Then his moving tendencies moved into the house. Rearranging furniture every other month. Looks good here, might look better there...it was never the same. My friends would come by and hang out and noticed that we where constantly moving stuff around. My son Ayden even has some stories of helping grandpa moving old war re-enactment stuff from the garage to the shed, then moving it back from the shed to the garage. There was even some rumors that he made my cousin Allan do the same things at work, moving filing cabinets and desks. There was never a dull moment on the weekends with our dad.
He will truly be missed. I know he is up there with his father keeping an eye on us and watching all of us grow and putting things in their rightful place.
Gil will always be in my heart and mind as a dear long time friend of Ed and me. A patriot and advocate for the legacy of the Philippine Scouts. He fought for the recognition of the Filipino veterans in every organization he was involved and worked tirelessly to carry their story. I cannot forget him giving me the sands from Abucay during Ed's Mass at St. Paul the Apostle and I cried. I know Gil is there with Ed now telling stories of the war and toasting to those times. My deep condolences to Violet and family. Love and prayers, Raqui Ramsey
Leave a Tribute
Recent Tributes
Kuya Gil,
You’ve been a loving and caring older brother to me. I have always been thankful for your guidance and support especially when Tintin and Ryan were growing up. I knew that I could always count on you to listen and provide counsel whenever I needed advice throughout life. No matter how busy you were raising your own family and pursuing your own goals , you always made yourself available for us whenever I needed you. I will always remember our family gatherings throughout the years, especially during the holidays. You will always be in my heart. I love you big brother.
Your loving sis,
Pat
You’ve been a loving and caring older brother to me. I have always been thankful for your guidance and support especially when Tintin and Ryan were growing up. I knew that I could always count on you to listen and provide counsel whenever I needed advice throughout life. No matter how busy you were raising your own family and pursuing your own goals , you always made yourself available for us whenever I needed you. I will always remember our family gatherings throughout the years, especially during the holidays. You will always be in my heart. I love you big brother.
Your loving sis,
Pat
I just found out about Gil’s passing. Very sad. I’m related on my dad’s side, the Salomon family from Urbiztondo. (My parents are George and Lily Martin, who lived in San Diego.) We’ve lost touch over the years, but I always thought Gil had a kind, decent soul. My profound condolences. Please contact me at nitrama@gmail.com— I don’t use social media.
Working with Gil at Dunn-Edwards was a special time; his sharing of information to the sales team was invaluable, his patience with us was great, and his love of teaching us so we could understand was immeasurable... As a friend he was always gentle and kind. He will always have a special place in my heart as he was there to help when others were not. He will always be in my thoughts and prayers. My sincere condolences to family.
Gallery
At the Ethel M. Cactus Garden, Henderson, Nevada with brother Jun. Sep. 2020
With brothers, Jun & Rudy & his prized Remington sculptures, Jan. 2021
At home in Las Vegas, Nevada, January 02, 2021
Gil with brothers Rudy & Jun, beloved uncle, Eugenio Mislang
his Life
Career as a Chemist
Gil was employed by Dunn-Edwards Paints (Maywood, CA) starting in June of 1979 and served in several capacities including Lab Technician, Quality Control Chemist, R&D Chemist, Director of New Product Development, and Director of Research. While working for Dunn-Edwards, Gil had opportunities to travel throughout the United States and internationally. He often looked forward to the Annual Waterbourne Symposium in New Orleans, LA where he would find time to visit some of his favorite restaurants, Commander's Palace and Cafe Du Monde. He retired in 2012 after 33 years of service.
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 Gil was awarded the Sister Agnes Ann Green Award for Distinguished Service in recognition of his contributions to the Section.
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 Gil was awarded the Sister Agnes Ann Green Award for Distinguished Service in recognition of his contributions to the Section.
Dedication to the Philippine Scouts
Gil’s love
for the Philippine Scouts, the legendary U.S. Army Unit in World War II, began
in the 1960’s when he was a young man. It started with the stories told by two
influential uncles, Eugenio Mislang and Primo Trinidad, both members of the Philippine
Scouts. On the rare occasions that they would discuss their experiences during
those early dark days of the war, Gil had a glimpse of the hardships and
sacrifices of these soldiers, proud to be members of a professional U.S. Army
unit. He heard the story of how Eugenio, on the last days of the Battle of
Bataan, was told by his American Officer not to surrender, to blend in with the
local population and return home. He did this by going thru the jungles and
mountains of Zambales to avoid the enemy patrols. Starving and weak, he made
the 80 mile trek back home. Primo endured the infamous 60 mile “Death March”.
He survived imprisonment in Camp O’ Donnell, where 50,000 men were held, and
where more than half of them died. Also should be noted were 2 uncles, Domingo
Benavidez and Florencio Quijano who both died during the early fighting in the
war.
It was these stories and more that Gil remembered. In 2007, he decided he could do his part to ensure that the memories of the soldiers of the Philippine Scouts were not forgotten. He was a member of a group of re-enactors that communicated with the Philippine Scouts Heritage Society, the national organization dedicated in preserving the history, heritage and legacy of the Scouts. The group requested for and was given permission to reactivate the Lt. Alexander R. Nininger Chapter of Los Angeles. Lt. Alexander R. Nininger was a hero in the Battle of Bataan. He was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Gil was one of the primary forces in organizing and maintaining the group for several years until his health forced him to withdraw from the Chapter’s activities. Some of his happiest moments came when the movie “Forgotten Soldiers” produced by Donald Plata was released. This documentary was put together using video footage taken by Donald of the re-enactors of the Nininger Chapter. Another event was the chapter’s involvement in the 2017 Rose Parade. The group entered an equestrian unit representing the Philippine Scouts’ famed “26th Cavalry Mounted Regiment”. A special time was when he flew back to the Philippines to attend the 28th National Reunion in Pampanga, Philippines at Fort Stotsenberg which was headquarters for the main units of the Philippine Scouts. Still others events like “Old Fort MacArthur Days” in San Pedro and “Marching through History” at Prado Park, where the group enjoyed overnight campouts that he truly enjoyed.
Lastly, the times that the group showed their respect to the Philippine Scout veterans who passed away, sad events that Gil was honored to participate in the group’s color guard unit. It was Gil’s desire to preserve the memory of the hardships and sacrifices of these Philippine Scout soldiers and thus the sacrifices of our uncles, and to pass on their history to future generations.
-Feliciano Mislang Jr.
It was these stories and more that Gil remembered. In 2007, he decided he could do his part to ensure that the memories of the soldiers of the Philippine Scouts were not forgotten. He was a member of a group of re-enactors that communicated with the Philippine Scouts Heritage Society, the national organization dedicated in preserving the history, heritage and legacy of the Scouts. The group requested for and was given permission to reactivate the Lt. Alexander R. Nininger Chapter of Los Angeles. Lt. Alexander R. Nininger was a hero in the Battle of Bataan. He was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Gil was one of the primary forces in organizing and maintaining the group for several years until his health forced him to withdraw from the Chapter’s activities. Some of his happiest moments came when the movie “Forgotten Soldiers” produced by Donald Plata was released. This documentary was put together using video footage taken by Donald of the re-enactors of the Nininger Chapter. Another event was the chapter’s involvement in the 2017 Rose Parade. The group entered an equestrian unit representing the Philippine Scouts’ famed “26th Cavalry Mounted Regiment”. A special time was when he flew back to the Philippines to attend the 28th National Reunion in Pampanga, Philippines at Fort Stotsenberg which was headquarters for the main units of the Philippine Scouts. Still others events like “Old Fort MacArthur Days” in San Pedro and “Marching through History” at Prado Park, where the group enjoyed overnight campouts that he truly enjoyed.
Lastly, the times that the group showed their respect to the Philippine Scout veterans who passed away, sad events that Gil was honored to participate in the group’s color guard unit. It was Gil’s desire to preserve the memory of the hardships and sacrifices of these Philippine Scout soldiers and thus the sacrifices of our uncles, and to pass on their history to future generations.
-Feliciano Mislang Jr.
