Roberto Estrada Paras' Obituary
Roberto Estrada Paras was born on September 1, 1935 in Lingayen, Pangasinan, Philippines to Guadalupe and Braulio Paras. He was the third born out of four children. He was brother to Domingo, Fred, and Rosie. Roberto was a tailor by trade and one of his first jobs was as a master pattern cutter at a famous tailor shop in Singalong, Philippines.
Roberto was married to Cayetana Salcedo and had two children: Mary Ann (Hazel) and Estrellita (Lani). In 1966, Cayetana and the girls moved from the Philippines to Hawaii and two years later Roberto joined them. They lived in Kalihi where Roberto worked at Dole part-time. Besides being a tailor, Roberto was also an excellent cook which got him a second job working as an assistant chef at LaRonde Restaurant where he worked for three years.
He enjoyed being a tailor first and foremost, so in 1972 opened his tailor shop called “Bert’s” on North King Street where he had a number of loyal customers.
In 1976 he decided to take the family on a vacation to San Francisco where he fell in love with the cool, crisp weather. Within a few months later he made a decision to move the family to the mainland and they settled in Daly City.
He worked at Hilton Hotel for over 20 years before retiring in 1997. He still enjoyed sewing clothes during his spare time for himself and the family. In fact, he is laid to rest in a favorite shirt that he made.
In 2002 we almost lost him when he suffered a heart attack. He struggled with his health for several years including going through dialysis treatment. He had countless visits to the hospital and a number of surgeries but he was a fighter and managed to bounce back for several years.
Roberto was a strong and quiet individual with a good sense of humor and was always willing to help his family and friends. If you paid him a visit, the first thing he would do is to offer you food. He loved spending time with his grandchildren and enjoyed listening to music from the 60s and 70s.
Roberto leaves behind his wife, his two daughters, and his grandchildren Lauren and Harrison.
A few years ago he mentioned to his wife that they should go back to Hawaii and now he is here.
Special Thanks: The family want to express their appreciation of the outpouring of condolences they have received from family and friends both in California and Hawaii.
Visitation will be held 5:30-6:30p.m., Monday August 4, 2014 at Hawaiian Memorial Park; services at 6:30p.m.; burial 1:00p.m., Tuesday August 5th at Hawaiian Memorial Park Cemetery.
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