Ethelyn Eala Barcelona's Obituary
Ethelyn Eala Barcelona, 76, of Honolulu, Hawaii passed away on Monday, October 25, 2021, surrounded by her loving family.
Ethel known to family and friends was born on November 26, 1944 in San Esteban, Ilocos Sur, Philippines. She was the 2nd oldest of 4 siblings born to Miguel “Mike” and Eleita Eala. She moved to Hawaii with her Mom to reunite with her Pops when she was 11.
Ethel loved cooking! She enjoyed preparing feasts for many, many family get togethers. Some of everyone’s favorite dishes were: Balatong, Chicken Marungay, Pork and Petsay, Coconut Shrimp, Lumpia, Pancit, and Spaghetti.
Ethel had many talents. She can sew, crochet, cross stitch, play piano, does daily crossword puzzles, and has a green thumb. Loves her plants, orchids, and succulents. She stays up to date on current events, reads to keep her mind sharp, and has a vast memory for detail - great resource for many topics, especially for fond memories.
She is survived by her son Ben (Dale), daughter Gaelynn (Simms), brother Emil (Iris), 4 grandchildren Bryce and Michael Barcelona, Joshua and Kayli Shae Samonte, along with her 2 nieces Ashley and Kelsie Eala.
She kept in touch daily with her friends and family via text and FaceBook. She was everyone’s favorite manang, ading, aunty, cousin, friend, and niece. She was the light in so many lives, who will be warmly remembered and never forgotten.
Please keep her memory alive. We invite you all to please share your thoughts and memories on this site. Whenever you are feeling down or want to see her beautiful smile… you are welcome to visit her page
Shared Memories By Ethel's Immediate Family
Read further for Eulogy and Shared Memories by Immediate Family
Sis' Eulogy: By Emil Eala 11/13/2021
Good morning everyone.
First of all, we’d like to thank all of you for joining us today, here & via the webcast,
in celebrating the life of my sister Ethel. I’m her youngest brother, Emil.
For those of you who were here for the Wake on Thursday night, I figure I’d change it
up a little. Last time I had 2 pages. Today it’s 4! Actually it’s the same stuff, just had
to print em twice as big…. easier to read.
But before I start I just want to ask you to forgive me if I don’t have all the facts right
since I usually ask Sis for these kinds of information. Oh and also if I start to speak
with a lisp that’s because I bit my tongue last night. But, well, here it goes.
Ethelyn Eala Barcelona, was born to my parents Miguel and Eleita Esperanza Eala, on
November 26, 1944 in San Esteban, Illocos Sur in the Philippines, during World War
II. She was their second born…. 2 years after Rudolpho, 12-1/2 years before Michael,
and 21 years before me.
My Dad left the Philippines around 1946 to start a new life for his family in the US.
But it wasn’t until 9 years later, in 1955, that he was able to send for my Mom and
Sis to join him here in Hawaii. They came here via a ship, the USS Cleveland. This
was before travel by airplane became the norm. I remember them telling me that
the first thing they remember seeing was that Big Pineapple! For those of you who
don’t know The Dole Pineapple Cannery in Iwilei had a big water tower that was built
in the form of a big pineapple. The next thing they remember seeing was The Aloha
Tower when their ship was pulling into port.
After going to school here for several years, she eventually made her way to Terra
Bella California where she stayed with our Grandparents on our Mom’s side. She
went to school there for a year or so before returning to Hawaii.
She attended and graduated from Farrington High School, before going on to UH to
study nursing.
But all that changed when she moved to Los Angeles California. She didn’t go there
to pursue her nursing degree, but instead she went there to pursue Manong Ben
Barcelona. They got married in front of a judge. Los Angeles is where Ferdilaine, aka
Ben-Ben, or Ben as we now know him, was born. That was in 1970. Shortly after
however they decided to move to Hawaii. And here is where Gaelynn was born in
1971.
Eventually Sis ended up working at HMSA where she made lifelong friends there.
Some of them, like her good friends Shirley Mulleitner and Barbara Ota among
others, would get together for their annual birthday celebrations.
She did leave HMSA at one point from 1979-1982 to try living a life in the Philippines
with Manong Ben, but after 3 years there it just wasn’t home for them. So they
moved back here and she resumed her job that she left.
She later left HMSA again, but this time to partner up with her former boss, Tom
Ogawa, joining him at his store Kris Kringle’s Den at Ward Warehouse. That was a
local-favorite store for many. She really loved that store, and the stuffs they sold. So
much so that when they eventually decided to close up in 1999 she brought home
half the store, a lot of which still sits in the attic today. So if there’s any collectors
out there, see Gaelynn afterwards… I think she’s selling em half-price (nah). But
while they had Kris Kringles Den they also opened up 2 more stores… Simple
Pleasures in Guava Lane at Ala Moana, and Good Vibrations at the Dole Cannery
Square. It was really nice to know that she had a business she really enjoyed and
loved.
So in 1999 they decided to close up shop as it didn’t seem practical to continue
business there as Ward Warehouse started sharing plans of big renovations that
would affect their lease. But the timing of this just so happened to take place during
the time we lost our brother Michael.
These life changing events led her to take on a new role of helping care for our
parents at home. It was a very difficult and stressful time for the family, as my
parents were struggling to face the fact that their son left this world before them. As
a parent at any age that is already a difficult thing to deal with, but experiencing this
at their age, I could see it was extremely taxing on them both mentally and
physically. It was difficult to watch them go through this phase, but Sis had to be the
one to carry them through this. She was the one who lived with them, the one
taking them to their doctors’ appointments, did the grocery shopping, being with
them 24/7 as their age quickly accelerated. My Dad passed away 2-1/2 years later.
Supporting my Mom became more important than ever now. Mom, who had to go
through losing not only her son and husband, but also losing her Brother, Uncle
Orling, and her Sister, Aunty Neneng as well in just a matter of years.
These years weren’t all filled with sorrow tho, as Sis gained 2 nieces and 4
grandchildren. This kind of helped even things out. Even though she was both a
caretaker and babysitter at the same time the kids brought her much love and joy
into her life, which greatly outweighed everything else.
Her role as caretaker however didn’t get any easier. In 2006, after Mom had her 1st
stroke Mom required more attention than ever. My sister and I became tag-team
partners, as I would help out whenever I could, like after work and on weekends. It
would prove to be a very trying time for us. We both knew from then on that it
would be a downhill struggle for not only our Mom but for us as her caretakers as
well. This would prove true after Mom’s second stroke several years later. There
were a lot of ups and downs that would test our patience with each other, but more
importantly, it would reveal our reliance on each other. I know it only strengthened
our Bond. Even though we were born 21 years apart, we became very close. It
would have been impossible for either of us to go thru this alone without the other.
When Mom passed away in 2015 it was a very difficult time for our family, as we had
just lost our family’s Matriarch.
That’s when I kind of realized that although Mom was our Matriarch, Sis was our
Core, our nucleus. She was the center of everything for our family. Not only within
our immediate family, but she was our link to all of our relatives, close and distant,
near and far, our family history, family links. She was my family encyclopedia I could
always go to whenever I had questions about relatives I haven’t seen before, or
haven’t seen in awhile, like “Who are they? … or What are their names again?
And…. How are we related to them?” I could always rely on her for answers to those
kinds of questions. Not only did she have info on everyone, she also kept close
relations with everyone. As Simms said, she was like our family Octopus. She kept
all of us linked together.
When I was younger growing up I always looked up to her… till I grew taller, then she
had to look up at me. Nah, I always DID look up to her. I was really proud to have
her as my Big Sis. I remember when she just returned from their 3 year stint in the
Philippines, whenever we’d go out to the mall, to parties, etc. I’d be walking next to
her with my chest out, chin up, thinking “Yes, I got my Big Sis back!”. She was smart
like my Dad and inherited my Mom’s good looks. I was really proud to be her
younger brother.
Growing up with my brother Michael, she was always “Sis” to us! I remember one
time Michael told me, whatever you do “Don’t every try calling her Ethel!” He said
one time he did that just for fun to see how she’d react, he said he got scoldings
from her. She said “I’m your Sister, so you call me Sis!”. I once asked her if she’d
prefer us calling her Manang, but she preferred Sis, as this gave her that feeling of
having that special bond with us. Only a handful of us called her Sis… Michael, Me,
our 1st cousins Manong Bonafe, Manong Pepito and Manong Saling, as well as some
other close cousins she grew up with from small kid time.
One of the last things we texted to each other (October 4 – on Dad’s birthday) was
when I was talking about how I’d always dream about our brother Michael, at least
once a week. Sometimes Mom would be in those dreams too, but it was ironic that
Dad was also in this last dream I had. I always wondered if the dreams were linked
to the guilt I felt inside for not doing enough to help keep them here longer. She told
me not to worry. She said it was there way of saying we did what we could, made
the right choices, and everything will be OK. Being in my dreams was just a way of
making up for the time that was cut short. They’re always going to be with us
forever, in our memories and in our dreams. Somehow I wonder if that somehow
was her way of prepping me for all of this, when her time came. So kids, I think
that’s the message she wants me to give to you all. You guys don’t have to feel guilty
for what happened to her in her last couple days here. You guys made the right
choices. She knows 1st hand what we are going through and whatever we decided to
do would be the right thing to do. She left us being HAPPY. That’s what all of us
could ever ask for, for her to be happy. And she told us that, as being her last words
spoken. And although she left us here on earth, she’ll ALWAYS be there with us, in
our dreams and memories. Memories that will last forever, never be forgotten. Like
her big contagious smile. Whenever we feel down, or are having a bad day, think of
her smile. That’ll guarantee to brighten up our day, like a Yellow Rose!
I just want to thank you Sis for all you’ve done for me, for all of us. You brought joy
to all of our lives. Always had your big smile to bring on that Happy mood. You
cooked awesome food to fill our bellies. You help raise all of us with good values
brought down from Mom and Dad. You were always there for us. Thanks for being
my Big Sis! I miss you. I love You!
Say hi to Mom, Dad, and Michael for me… and all of our family and friends you
reunited with up there. Good night Sis…. See you in my dreams!
MOM
Shared by Ethel's son, Ben Barcelona at Funeral Service on 11/13/2021
I have so many memories of Mom that I will never forget. Church was very important to her and so she would take Gaelynn and I with her there every Sunday and every Christmas Eve when we were growing up. Some of the things she loved to do are sew, crochet and bake. Many times when we came home from church and I remember this vividly, she would sew dresses for her or Gaelynn, bake bibingka or cascarone and watch the Lawrence Welk show all at one time. Then on Thanksgiving, which by the way was her favorite holiday, she and my grandparents would get up early in the morning to prepare a lot of the food for not only Uncle Michael, Uncle Emil, Gaelynn and me, but for the many relatives that they invited over to the house which was so much fun. I especially loved the pumpkin pies and stuffing she made.
Gaelynn and I were so lucky because Mom took us on a bunch of trips mostly to the mainland. And on many occasions, Uncle Michael and Uncle Emil would join us. We went to places such as L.A., San Francisco, Terra Bella and other places in California to visit many of our relatives. From there we would go with some of our relatives to Vegas for a couple of days. Then she would always make sure that my sister and I got to go to Disneyland, Universal Studios and Knotts Berry Farm to name a few.
There is one trip in particular that I will always remember and it is when the three of us moved to the Philippines from Spring of 1979 to Summer of 1982. Initially, mom told us we were staying there for a year, but we ended up staying there for three years. To tell you the truth, at the time, I wasn’t looking forward to going there. But, mom felt strongly about us trying to live there. It took me a few months to get comfortable because life was a little different compared to what I was used to. I ended up adjusting and enjoying it there. We did a lot of walking and it was mainly in San Esteban, Ilocos Sur where we stayed majority of the time. A lot of people living there new each other. I remember seeing how happy Mom was when she got to see the many relatives and friends that she hasn’t seen for years since she moved to the U.S. She was also excited to introduce her kids to them. All the while there,
she also made a lot of new friends and some who she kept in touch with when we left.
In Manila and in other areas nearby there, most of my Dad’s brothers and sisters lived there with their families. I didn’t realize how many uncles, aunties and first cousins I had. Mom got along with all of them and they were close. They treated her real well. They would stay up late at night talking stories, reminiscing about the past and laughing. When all the Barcelona families got together, it was one huge party. Those are moments I will always cherish.
There were also times when only the three of us would be together that I enjoyed most. We would go to eat at Shakey’s Pizza a favorite of ours and then mom would let us play arcade games afterwards. She then took us shopping for clothes and then she would buy me Hot Wheels and my sister Hello Kitty. She always made sure we were happy.
When I look back, I’m glad that Mom decided to give it a try for us to live there. I met a lot of relatives and friends that I most likely would not have gotten to know if we didn’t visit the Philippines.
Thank you Mom for everything you’ve done for Gaelynn and me. You always put us first above anything and anybody. I know for the most part you were proud of us. I want you to know that we were ALWAYS proud of YOU! You took very good care of us and brought us up the right way. You thought us to be respectful to one another and to love one another. You had a very kind heart and infectious smile that made a lot of people, and especially your family, love you. Although it is so difficult for me to accept that you are no longer here physically that I can talk to, listen to or see, I’m glad that we have so much memories together that they will put a smile on my face whenever I’m thinking about you. I am so happy and very lucky that YOU are my Mom. I want to thank God that he chose you to be my Mom. I LOVE YOU sooo much MOMMY! I will miss your smile, your laugh, your hug, your love and most of all YOU!
Sharing Mom’s Memories
(Shared by Ethel's daughter, Gaelynn Samonte at the Funeral Service on 11/13/2021)
There is so much to say about Mom. Uncle and Ben did an awesome job of sharing Mom’s life story and the kids did great at making us CRY!! To all Mom’s fans. Wow, your messages on FB. Reading them was a tear jerker! You all have expressed dearly what kind of a person Mom was. Most of us do not have FB, we were so amazed to read how much she communicated with everyone AND on a daily basis!!! We are not surprised at the impact she made on so many people!! That’s my Mom!! Just want you all know that we will cherish your words forever!
Although I am still in shock and can’t believe this happened, I want to share that I honestly feel that Mom had an awesome last 2 years!! So I want to share that with you today.
About a year before she turned 75, as a family we decided that we will keep the house and live with Mom. She did not want to move to Mililani. The first thing she thought of was “how am I going to go on my weekly walks with my friends.” We knew deep down too that she needed the familiarity of being at home - my grandparents home with all the memories! Every single one of you can probably just think about that house and happy memories would come rushing back! Mahjong and Bingo nights, smell of fish and patis, and of course the sound of LAUGHTER!!
Within 6 months we moved back to Moanalua in July of 2019. The grand plan was for her to live life! Ben, Simms, Dale and I knew that we wanted Mom to be happy. We truly wanted her to enjoy the remaining years of her life not worrying about anything.. not about us, not about money, food, the house.. nothing! Wanted her to do whatever she wanted and loved most - which was to be with family and friends, tend to her garden, and not live alone.
The plan was to have her go on trips to visit family every year. So summer of 2019 she went to California. We brought Mom to Aunty Baby’s. It was an epic trip for her. What was supposed to be a week or 2 vacay turned into a couple months. Thank you Aunty Baby for taking her all over California - she enjoyed shopping, going to the casino, eating, eating, and eating, and most importantly visiting family all over California. Everyone welcomed her with open arms. She really enjoyed going to the annual festival at Terra Bella, enjoyed wine tasting in Napa, and going to Mark and Manang Annie’s home - she was happy to share that they had an open invitation for her to visit and stay with them anytime… She even said, “Mark pointed out which room I would stay in.” We all were so happy that she was having so much fun to the point we didn’t know if she wanted to come back home! I am so grateful that she went on that trip and to all of you for making it so special for her.
Then comes 2020. Covid year and the world changed. No more plant fairs for mom to attend, no more shopping, no getting her hair done, and more importantly no going walking with her friends and no trips to visit family. BUT thank goodness that Mom got technology down! Her phone was her BFF! She even created her own Bitmoji! She communicated DAILY with MANY MANY people via text and FaceBook. She was a social butterfly.
While quarantine was not ideal, it allowed us to spend more time as a family. Especially for Josh and KK. She appreciated seeing them regularly. No more lunches alone:). Heck she was able to make a breakfast feast for them every now and then like the kids mentioned - pancakes, waffles, spam omelet, whatever they wanted. We also had more family game nights - not just with us but the rest of the family. Pretty hilarious reminiscing about how Mom played games.
2021 started off with a bang for her. Guess who was happy that someone was no longer the President?!?! Let me tell you she brought out the Dom Perignon on that special occasion. That was the start of many awesome things that came her way!
Because we were working from home, we decided it was the best time to do renovation. We started it in 2020 but 2021 was when everything came together. She never gave her 2 cents unless we asked. But of course I always asked because I always wanted her blessing, so she had a say of every part of the renovation. After all, she has good taste.. expensive, but great taste!
We painted her bedroom yellow (as everyone knows it’s her favorite color). I remember that day vividly.. she was so excited and already planning on how she was going to rearrange the furniture, and what collectibles/plants to display. Because the windows were also replaced (she couldn’t crank them open before) she got to finally enjoy the view of the valley again and let the nice breeze flow thru.
As for the outside, we cleared the patio downstairs where she hung out in the late mornings. It’s where she rested after watering the plants. It’s where she read books, went on Face Book or played games. Or even had her miriendas there.. sometimes we’d find an empty can of coke there.
The yard was leveled off with new grass. She was able to walk safely around the yard and start planting flowers, herbs, and veggies. Thank you Uncle Ricco for her planters and the vine stand. On October 16 she planted Beans, Okra, Eggplant, Zucchini and Cucumber. You all know how much she loves gardening!
She loves it so much that Home Depot was one of her favorite stores! In fact it is where she bumped into a high school classmate this summer. Another positive in 2021. Bryce was the one who took her to Home Depot and tripped out that they recognized each other… especially after almost 60 years!!!!! How crazy is that! Although their plans to have a lunch reunion was postponed, she was still able to reconnect with him and other high school classmates via text.
It still wasn’t best for her to travel this year. We were disappointed for her that she couldn’t visit family again; but if she couldn’t go to them, they came to her! Aunty Baby came in April and spent 2 weeks with us! She was soooo happy:). She had a smile on 24 - 7!!! You know that smile! She was also looking forward to Michelle, Marites, and Manang Annie’s visit as well!
Now we are in October… last month:(. You all know she loved to cook . The kitchen was her domain and was the last part of the renovation. Everything was done with Mom in mind. Got her containers that opened easily and labeled them. Everything that she needed and used were all within arms length for her - nothing too high that she needed a ladder or too low where she needed to bend down. She got excited about little things like the automatic can opener or the drawer organizers. In fact a couple days prior, she had fun organizing the utensil drawers - all 100 forks and spoons!
She was super excited about a pot filler. Said it will be helpful when she made spaghetti noodles, Nilaga, or any of her Filipino soupy dishes. She was excited that she would NOT have to carry the pot from sink to stove (which is really only 2 feet) but still easier for her! The only thing we added in the kitchen that she didn’t care if we had or not was a dishwasher. THAT was for me!
On October 11th, Josh and Simms helped her finish her garden in the front. They planted chili peppers, pikake, roses* and other plants. The next project she talked about was fixing up her garden downstairs where her succulents are.
1 week prior to suffering her stroke, at midnight, we danced around our kitchen island that was just installed. Kids idea of course and thankfully Josh decided to video it. Thank goodness, we have that memory on video where we can watch over and over again. In fact, most of you have seen it the other night in the video where she was staring into the camera dancing! We didn’t have that much fun in a long time!!! It was so nice!
In her last week she was able to enjoy some of her favorite foods - Oxtail soup which she has not had in a long time, Japanese cheesecake from Panya, and her last lunch… a couple of hours before she collapsed, she had a shrimp summer roll which we got from Whole Foods. She said it was THE BEST spring roll she’s ever had.
This brings me now to the day she suffered her stroke.
It was a regular Saturday morning. Out of the blue she showed me a Princess House bowl set with cups she wanted to give Aunty Barbara so she can make a Fairy Garden. She said.. “we can give it to her when we see her next month at the next Plant Fair.”
We were going to the mall and she was super excited to wear her brand new shoes that arrived that day. We went to Compleat Kitchen where she bought a few things including a gift for her friend Aunty Barbara who shares a birthday with me that was 9 days away. KK and I went to a couple more stores then headed back to look for her. We found her outside ON HER PHONE. She was so excited to show us what she bought. Said she ended going back to Compleat Kitchen. She said the sales associate was so nice that she got 30% discount off every item. The sale that day was just 30% for 1 item which she already used the first time around. She was more excited about the extra discount than what she bought:). She did buy a shave ice machine that KK was eyeing out earlier.
Car was parked kind of far so I asked if she wanted to wait while I grabbed the car, but she wanted to walk. Normally, Mom would take me up on the offer if she was tired, but she said she needed the exercise. She walked arm and arm with Kayli Shae. A little over 1/2 way thru the lot I turned back and she had like a startled look in her eyes when I asked if she was ok. Didn’t look right so I told her I’ll get the car. She laughed and said “never mind I AM FINE. I can.” For a split second, I knew something wasn’t right, but because she was smiling and sounded fine I brushed it off. When we got in the car she looked and acted fine. In fact she wasn’t winded at all like she normally would be. Usually she’ll get in and have to take a deep breath… but this time she didn’t. She was really fine!
On our way home she shared how someone was sending her something and she wanted to make sure she can return the gesture with some Hawaiian cookies. She and KK were also talking animatedly like they always did about making halo halo with the machine she just bought. She told her that one day we should go to the store to buy Macapuno, Nata de Coco and all the other fixings that go in halo halo.
When we got home, Simms was already cooking dinner, but said that he ran out of ketchup. Normally, he would be the one to go to the store, but instead I did. Not sure why but I did. I went to Times and grabbed the ketchup, but I decided to surprise Mom and KK with Macapuno and the halo halo fixings. While in line, there was a box of Mom’s favorite Japanese wafer.. Elise Vanilla Wafer. It was in an odd location AND it was something Mom could not find here in Hawaii. Last time she had it was when we went to Japan in 2016. So of course, I bought it. When I got home and I showed her the ice cream and everything I got including the wafer she was so excited. She said, “OOOOOOO thank you” WITH HER HUGE SMILE.
Not sure why she all of a sudden went thru one of the drawers. There was no reason but she did. And she accidentally cut her finger. She went to clean it and asked if we could grab her a tape? We were like band-aid? She said yes.. So we were cracking up with her and she couldn’t stop laughing on why she said tape. She told us she was going to rest for a little while. I was right behind her.. i turned right to our room, and turned left. Next thing you know we heard her chair move. I turned around and she was on the ground with Simms already at her side. From then it was a blur.
Although there were still unfinished business this year like not being able to go to that reunion, or cooking in our new kitchen, or going on a trip. She was happy just looking forward to all of that - to reuniting with her high school classmates, cooking in the kitchen, and seeing Michelle, Annie, and Aunty Baby . That’s what I choose to focus on .. not that she didn’t get do those things but that she was excited that all of that was going to happen. That’s how Mom would view things. We did receive the box she was talking about a few days after her passing. So we did grab a box of Big Island cookies which I have yet to mail out to Aunty Nesy. I also was able to give her friend, Aunty Barbara, the Princess House bowl and cup set for the Fairy Garden as well as her birthday gift she purchased. Weird how that day she was telling me what she was planning on doing. So I’m just making sure to do it for her.
Moving back to Moanalua was the best decision that we made. We got to spend almost everyday with Mom her last 2 years. The kids made so many memories with her more than most grandchildren get to do in their lifetime. That was a GIFT that we will always treasure.
My mom was loved by so many people because of the person she is. Loving, generous, happy, positive, welcoming, smart, saw the good in everyone, great listener, and so many more. Your messages on FB said it all. Brings us joy and comfort to feel the love she was surrounded with on a daily basis all the way til the end. You all made her happy every single day!
Mom, thank you for everything. I’m so happy that you made sure that you took care of the kids. Because of you, I truly believe that you played a big role in raising them to be who they are today and why all 6 are as close to one another as they are. What I’m going to miss most is watching you hug the kids or hear you all exchanging I LOVE YOUs every night. Mom, Josh still goes to your room every night to say good night.
It’s gonna take me awhile to accept that I won’t be bumping into you in the hallway or by the coffee machine in the mornings. I know at the hospital you were struggling to communicate with us. Uncle said you were trying to tell us something by writing on our hands. I know you were tired but you were so determined. When you told me that you were happy I was in disbelief. I thought I was hearing what I wanted to hear so I video taped you to make sure I can listen to it after. It was so clear that you were telling me that it was time for you to go and that you were leaving this earth happy. Thank you for that message mom. You are an amazing lady that til the end you were still taking care of us. I love you and I’m so blessed to have you as my mommy. ❤️Gaelynn
*Mom’s “French Perfume” rose that was planted on 10/11 bloomed the day we laid Mom to rest on 11/13
Shared
Memory by Ethel’s grandson, Bryce Barcelona at the Funeral Service on 11/11/2021)
Hi
my name is Bryce Barcelona and I am the oldest grandson. Other than my parents, Grandma would always be the person to take care of me. Luckily she only lived 10 minutes away from us so it wasn’t a far drive to see her. I would hear stories about how I would
go to her house where she would make me breakfast every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday before I attended preschool. She would also watch over me every school break from kindergarten up until my Sophomore year in high school. My favorite were the long summer
days where we would get dropped off at 7 in the morning and would leave at around 5 in the evening. On lucky days, my cousins and I would be able to sleep over and would have the times of our lives. We’d stay up way past our bed times and mess with grandma
as we would always laugh really loud cracking jokes. She would then say, “ I sos it’s past 12 o’clock, you guys sound like laughing hyenas.” We were so full of energy until we laughed too much to the point we were exhausted and knocked out. I would sometimes
wake up in the middle of the night and see grandma go to sleep around 3, but somehow breakfast was always prepared by the time we all got out of bed.
One of her passions was always cooking. She would always
cook food for us, barely bought any takeout or fast food, all of her food was homemade, and her favorite way to make everything was from scratch. One of my favorite simple foods that I would ask her to make was sunny side up eggs. It was quick to make with
crispy brown edges, yet somehow they were still runny on the inside. Anything I would ask her to cook, she would always make it, no questions asked. From adobo, to pinakbet, to even pork and bean sprouts, stinky fish, and eggplant omelette. When I had my wisdom
teeth taken out, I was miserable because I was only eating sherbert so grandma made me either pinakbet or petchi because it was soft and cut everything to really tiny pieces so I didn’t have to struggle when I was chewing everything.
As we got older and I could drive myself around, I wouldn’t
go to her place during breaks as much anymore, but I would randomly call her sometimes after school to ask her if I could hang out with her and study for a couple of hours, especially for exams. We would catch up and of course she would always offer to make
me food. I also made it a point to also try to take grandma to the post office to send out letters, to Longs and Safeway for groceries, or to home depot to get things for her garden. She has always been very generous by helping take care of us kids, so it felt
really satisfying to return the favor and take her around to places she loved shopping at.
I have so many happy memories with her, especially going
to her house, but I can’t say I had one memory that stands out from the others. She has done so much for me, has always
been there for me, and we shared so many wonderful moments that not one stood out from the rest because they are all so special to me. I want to just thank her for all that she has done for me and for being a big part of my life. I am really going to miss you
grandma. Thank you.
Shared
Memory by Ethel’s grandson, Joshua Samonte at the Funeral Service on 11/11/2021)
Good
evening, thank you everyone for coming today. My name is Joshua and I am one of grandma's grandsons. Grandma has always been there my entire life. From the days where I would be too scared to sleep in the living room with the cousins so she'd let me sleep in
her bed with her, all the way to these past couple years of her being my backup singer as we drove around listening to old tunes.
Growing up, I got to spend a lot of time with her. I would
always make my trips to “grandma’s house” which is what we used to call the house we live in now, almost everyday after school. My earliest memories with grandma consisted of her cooking me scrambled eggs, hanging out in her bedroom, our early dinners together
on school days, playing cards with her, and the endless summers when she would watch my cousins and I, ah the good ole days. As I grew up I got to make countless memories with grandma, some of the best ones usually having something to do with her awesome cooking.
Some of my favorites were her eggs, lumpia, banana lumpia, banana pancakes, pork and pechay, and especially her spaghetti.
However one of the most memorable moments with grandma
was when we still lived in Mililani and I had taken her to a times supermarket to buy ingredients. After we finished shopping we headed back to the car and put the food in the bed of my truck. Being that my running boards were so high, grandma usually needed
some help getting up. Most of the time it was a little push and she could bring herself the rest of the way up, however this time was a little different. After a couple pushes grandma still couldn’t get in and I started to freak out. Thoughts like “how am I
gonna get her in?” or “Oh no I can’t push her too hard because I might hurt her.” began coursing through my brain. However, in the midst of my freakout, while almost half way in the car and dangling from the grab handle, of all things, grandma begins to laugh
hysterically. I was in disbelief. I then scolded her and said “grandma why are you laughing?!” and she just kept saying “because its funny!” This lasted for a while all the way until a lady noticed a very scrawny 16 year old struggling to shove his grandma
into his truck and then yelled “hey do you need help?” from all the way across the parking lot for everyone to hear. This made grandma laugh even harder and being mad couldn’t even begin to describe how I felt. Finally with the help of the generous lady, we
got grandma in the car and she continued to laugh periodically the rest of the day. Even till this day whenever someone mentioned it to her she would just start laughing, and looking back at it, it really was funny, maybe not for me at that moment, but funny
nonetheless.
But that was grandma, always finding the best in situations,
didn’t really care what others thought, and was always so happy. Grandma was also one of the most supportive, caring, loving, and real people in my life. She never judged me for my faults or my screw ups and was one of the few people I could be my true self
with. She constantly catered to others and put others before herself, especially her family. She always pushed the kids to the best of our abilities and instilled this belief of striving to be better in all of us.
Looking back at it, ever since we moved in with Grandma
I feel that I might have taken this time with her for granted, and didn’t really realize until recently of how much of a blessing it was to live with her, especially during quarantine.
One of my not so proudest moments was when I seemed irritated
over something that had happened. Grandma then stopped what she was doing and reached out to me and said “Josh are you mad at me? Did I do something?” It then reminded me of how much she really cared for me and how loving she was. Instead of getting mad at
me for the way I was acting, it was more important to her to make sure that I was okay. Though sometimes we didn’t meet eye to eye, time and time again, grandma showed that she loved us all very much and there was nothing that could ever change that.
So today we celebrate grandma's life, but don’t be sad
that she is gone, rather be grateful and happy that she touched all our lives in one way or another and that we all got to have this amazing individual in our lives for so long. So to my grandma, one of my greatest role models, and one of my best friends, thank
you for everything and I love you more than you could ever know. I will forever miss your irreplaceable smile and the sound of your laughter.
And I think Puff Daddy said it best when he said, “Every
step I take, Every move I make, Every single day, Every time I pray, I’ll be missing you.” You will forever hold a special place in my heart grandma.
Rest in love.
Joshua
Shared
Memory by Ethel’s grandson, Michael Barcelona, at the Funeral Service on 11/11/2021)
Hi, my name is Michael Barcelona and I am the youngest
grandson. I will never forget how Grandma always took care of me every time I was sick or when my parents would not be able to watch me. During breaks, too, especially summer because I would go there every weekday for almost three months. Sometimes when we
would randomly come to visit or pick something up from her house, she would always ask me questions like “What are you doing here?” or “How are you doing in school?” She would always be happy to see us and she was always proud when I showed her my straight
A’s.
Grandma was always so thoughtful. She would always know
the kinds of clothes that I liked wearing and the types of toys I wanted to play with when I was younger. She would buy me toys like legos and transformers for Christmas. Sometimes she helped me sew the loose threads of my clothes. Because of her, my clothes
felt so much more comfortable and I wouldn’t have to worry about feeling uncomfortable whenever I wore them.
When grandma would cook, I remembered that she would make
foods special for me. One day she started to make banana pancakes because I liked it and because she knew I loved garlic, she put extra pieces in a separate bowl from soups she made so that I could have them. Some of my favorite foods I enjoyed when she made
them were spaghetti, petchi, french toast, balatong and so many more. Her cooking was truly the best.
Grandma always knew that I love playing basketball. She
would always support me. Whenever she could, she would go to my games and cheer for me even if she may have not understood what was really going on. She would always tell me I did a good job whether I did good or not.
This summer, grandma would ask my brother and I to take
her to the store more frequently with all of the stay home policies, so we helped her shop and we found a way to make shopping fun for us and to make her laugh. We would play a game at Longs and Safeway where she lists everything we needed to get, we would
split up, and whoever gets the items she needed first, wins. I also enjoyed going to Home Depot with her and Bryce because I got to help her find gardening materials for her plants, which is something that she loved to do at home all the time.
I am going to miss you grandma. Thank you for the wonderful
memories.Thank you for everything, and thank you for being my grandma.
Shared
Memory by Ethel’s one and only granddaughter, Kayli Shae Samonte, at the Funeral Service on 11/11/2021
Hi, my name is Kayli Shae. I’m the favorite and only
granddaughter to my grandma Ethel. I’m very grateful to have my grandma supporting me and caring for me on my every move. Before we moved to the house we’re living in now, I would always visit grandma after school and hang out with her. We'd always be doing
some weird and funky dances and have mini picnics at the dining table with random snacks eʻd find in the pantry. Whenever I stayed late at her house, I always remember her watching Gilligan’s Island on the old gray box t.v. in the living room. For the summers,
all the cousins would go to her house to hang out. Sheʻd make our favorite breakfastʻs like Pancakes, French Toast, and sometimes she’d just heat up the Pillsbury crescent rolls, and still made it taste WAY better than it typically would.
These past two years went by so quickly while we lived
with her. Instead of only being able to eat her food when we visited her, we got to enjoy the meals she made everyday. During dinner, grandma and I would take turns making satisfying noises with our food. Sometimes, grandma would show me videos of recipe tutorials
and we would plan to make them. We’ve already found a recipe in one of her magazines that we were planning to make for Christmas!
One
of my favorite memories with grandma was when we experienced an earthquake in Japan. In 2016, we took a family vacation to Japan during Christmas time. I believe it was like our fourth night there and we were settling down to go to sleep. With my mom and I
on one bed and grandma on the other, we saw the dresser across from us start to move. Mom yelled, “GET UNDER THE DOOR” as she pointed to the bathroom door in our hotel room. Following her commands, I jumped off the bed and quickly ran towards the door to where
she was now at. On the other hand, grandma was still on her bed as she played her round of Candy Crush. “HURRY UP” and “GET UNDER THE DOOR” were what mom and I were yelling at grandma as the earthquake was happening. For the response back we got a, “Okay hold
on, I’m playing my game.” As frantic as mom and I were, grandma remained calm and enjoyed her round of Candy Crush. Whenever we bring this up, it never fails to make us laugh. My grandma was always there for my family and I, as she
always put others before herself. She was one of
the happiest people I’ve ever known. Something I will never forget about grandma was her pure smile and the sound of her laugh. Which was one of the most often sounds I’d hear come out of grandma. My grandma Ethel was definitely one of the most supportive and
happy people I’ve known. She pushed the cousins and I to always strive and do our best, motivating us to try harder and harder. Grandma was always so smiley and always had a good time. She’s the best cook in the world, and I just know that next time I make
pancakes out of Bisquick mix, she’s gonna be watching from up above and saying, “Why don’t you make it from scratch?!”. To the best cook/motivator/best dancing partner/and one of the best grandma’s anyone could ever ask for, thank you. Thank you for everything
grandma, missing you more and more every single day. I love you, forever and ever. -Love, your favorite granddaughter.
Shared
Memory by Ethel’s niece, Ashley Eala, at the Funeral Service on 11/11/2021
Hi, my name is Ashley Eala, and I am Aunty Ethel’s older
niece. I have a lot of memories with my favorite aunty. I mean, she was my only aunty, but she will forever be my favorite. Aunty was a very giving person who made everyone feel welcome and loved. She did so much for me growing up, especially when I lived with
her for about 9 years. She helped me with school projects, like making a pineapple macadamia nut cake for a home ec class and telling me about coming to America from the Philippines with Grandma E for a history class project. Aunty also cooked many meals for
us, and one of my favorite dishes was her spaghetti. She made it for many of my birthdays, and just this past summer when I was about to go back up to college, she made it for our family get-together. I remember her also learning how to make one of my favorite
dishes from the Old Spaghetti Factory, mizithra cheese and browned butter, so that I could eat it while they were closed.
Some of my favorite memories with Aunty include playing
Boggle and decorating the house for the holiday season, especially my piano with her Santa figurines and elves. She would also support me and my sister at our many dance recitals, giving us big hugs afterward and telling us how much she liked the performance.
She captured countless moments in our lives that I probably would not have remembered very well without her photos, and over the past few days I’ve smiled every time I look at them as I remember Aunty smiling while she held her phone up to take the picture
and told us, “Smile!”
The last conversation I had with Aunty was about my Filipino
club in college. I was on facetime with her and mentioned how I am the chair for our annual cultural night and about some of the dances we will be performing. I mentioned Sayaw sa Bangko, which is a partner dance on benches that you stack throughout the dance.
Aunty didn’t know the dance, so she looked up a video on YouTube. I watched her reaction go from smiling to “what is happening?!” as she told me to be careful, which I like to think she said because I’m clumsy. I told my mom afterward that I wanted to invite
Aunty to the cultural night, and although she can no longer physically be there, I know she will be there with me in spirit.
Thank you, aunty, for everything you did for me and all
of us. I love and miss you so much.
Shared
Memory by Ethel’s niece, Kelsie Eala, at the Funeral Service on 11/11/2021
Hi, my name is Kelsie Eala and I am the younger niece
of my Aunty, Ethel Barcelona. I lived with my Aunty for half my life and within those years I shared some memorable moments with her. My Aunty was one of the people that would watch over me when my parents were at work, especially during the summers. Whenever
I think of those summers, my mind always goes back to when my Aunty would gather my cousins and I in my Grandma E’s room, and play music for us all to dance to. Some dances we would do were the macarena, the chicken dance, freeze dance, and even the sprinkler.
My Aunty would always find ways for us to move around and would even get our summer brains working by reading a book, even though we would always end up falling asleep while reading. She would also let us hang out in her room, and we would play cards or sometimes
secretly jump on her bed to try and touch the ceiling fan, which probably was not the best idea and not the most secretive. Every time we did this, we knocked her magazines off the end of the bed and would quickly try to put them back before she came in and
noticed. She probably knew though, but never told us anything. Now that I think about it, I’m not sure she actually gave us permission to jump on her bed, but she never scolded us for it.
We all knew her most for her delicious cooking like her
lumpia, spaghetti, pancit, chicken marungay, and one of my favorites, her homemade pumpkin pie which was always better than Costco’s. I would be happy to eat anything she made because I knew it would be so good. She had always encouraged me to try other foods
I would never think to try, like fish, which would always have a strong smell, that made me not want to eat it, but with aunty’s encouragement I would try it and it would taste so good. When we had lived with her before, I would always be looking forward to
dinner because I knew it was going to be delicious. Something I also enjoyed about dinner time were the old shows aunty would have on TV, like the andy griffith show, golden girls, gilligan’s island, and m.a.s.h., which I always enjoyed watching them with her.
I’ll miss these moments but will always cherish these memories with my aunty.
On behalf of all of us grandchildren and nieces, thank
you all for coming to help us celebrate the life of our Grandma & Aunty, Ethel Barcelona. May you all continue to keep her memory alive by sharing your stories of her with others. We love you aunty, and we will always remember you.
What’s your fondest memory of Ethelyn?
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Share a story where Ethelyn's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Ethelyn you’ll never forget.
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