Obituary for Beatriz Pastor Letrondo
BEATRIZ PASTOR LETRONDO
Aug 18, 1923 - Sep 4, 2022
Beatriz Manipis Pastor Letrondo (aka/Atring/Betty), 99 years young, reunited with her beloved husband Norberto (aka as Berting/Bert) Campos Letrondo on September 4, 2022 and into the eternal embrace of our Heavenly Father at home, with daughter, Edna by her side. Beatriz was born in Palompon, Leyte, immigrated to the United States in 1955, was a resident of Oak Harbor, a parishioner of St Augustine since 1964, and was one of the “First Ladies” of the Filipino community. Her longevity is a testament to the loving care she received from her seven children: Aida, Belinda, Bert Jr, Ceaser, David, Edna, Faye; granddaughter Angela; caregivers: Monica, Aysa, John, Gayle, Erlina; and the Island County Hospice team: shower aide Jessica, RNs Jennifer and Susan, MSW Andrea, and Dr Fogarty.
Ninth and final day of novena rosary is on Monday, September 12, 2022, 12 noon at Wallin’s Funeral Home, followed by reception. Funeral mass is on Friday, September 16, 2022, 10:00 am at St. Augustine Catholic Church, followed by interment at Maple Leaf Cemetery and reception at Wallin’s. Funeral mass will be live-streamed on Facebook
Atring (as she was called in the Philippines) was the second of four children of Celerina Manipis Pastor and Generoso Pastor. Siblings Rosario, Atring, Manuel, and Demetrios were orphaned when Mother Celerina died during childbirth with Demit, and soon after, Father Generoso died from Tuberculosis. Auntie Pilaling Pastor Payos and Uncle Cipriano, raised the four siblings until adulthood during the Japanese Occupation (1942-1945) of WWII. Atring recalled to her children of the times when the blasting sirens would warn the villagers of approaching aerial dogfights with enemy planes, and running to the hills to hide, carrying young cousin Manolita on her back. Atring taught elementary school after she completed high school when the war ended.
After graduating from Far Eastern University, Atring worked for the Bureau of Commerce in Manila, where her future husband, former high school classmate and neighbor, Berting, USNavy, visited her at work, while on leave to get married in Cebu. As their love story is recounted, Berting told his cousin, a taxi cab driver, to take him to Atring, after he learned that Atring had broken off her engagement to be married. Berting and Atring received the blessings of both their parents and guardians, after Berting declared his love for Atring, and explained that had it not been for the fact that his friend had already started courting Atring, he would have pursued her.
After a whirlwind courtship, and wedding plans, Berting and Atring were married within the week, in 1950, and were stationed at Sangley Point, Cavite City, near Manila Bay. The household in Quezon City was surrounded with love, laughter and lots of relatives, as Berting and Atring had college student boarders who doted on Aida, Belinda, and Bert Jr.
Atring began the next phase of her life in the United States when the family transferred to Coronado, CA in 1955, with subsequent duty stations at Naval Air Station Moffett Field, NAS Lemoore, and NAS Whidbey Island, where Bert served his “twilight tour.” Her Tia Pilaling (Auntie Pilar) was beside herself, ‘what will you do in America without the help of all the maids?” The family expanded with the birth of Ceaser, David, Edna, and Faye. The joke was everytime Berting returned home from deployment, nine months later, a new baby was welcomed into the family. Faye was their “retirement baby.”
Americanized Betty was proud of her Filipino heritage. She was an excellent cook, best known for her alway precisely wrapped, perfectly crispy, sumptuous lumpia and homemade lumpia wrappers. In the 60’s and early 70’s, before lumpia wrappers were sold in the local markets or commissary, Betty took orders for lumpia wrappers and also provided the wrappers for the thousands of lumpia that the Filipino American Association of Oak Harbor sold for the Fourth of July and Holland Happening festivities in the early 70’s. Betty’s lumpia and pancit, (Filipino ‘spaghetti’ dish) were always a hit when she served Bert’s “Bicycle (Poker) Club” at the house with Bill, Jake, and Jerry.
An exceptional seamstress, Betty sewed matching shirts for the boys and matching dresses for the older girls, piano and couch covers, wedding gowns, cheerleader outfits, and Philippine native costumes for daughter Aida when she was a member of the Fil Am dance troupe.
Family was important to Betty. The family always looked forward to monthly gatherings to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, summer camping at Deception Pass and Bayview State Parks, Baker Lake, and Jim Creek. When the family expanded to include grandchildren and great-grandkids, the family would rent two houses side-by-side at Lake Chelan, Leavenworth, Pacific Beach, and condos at Birch Bay and Waikiki to party with an abundance of food and to bond with fishing, skimboarding, sandcastle building, sand dollar and seashell gathering, shopping at the international market, and luaus.
Always the gracious hostess, Betty welcomed family, friends and even strangers to her home and treated them as family. Summertime was always busy with out of state guests who enjoyed fishing and crabbing with Bert in his 20 foot boat, ‘Betty2”, clam and mussel digging in Penn Cove, jigging for smelt and herring at Cornet Bay.
Betty enjoyed her plentiful, verdant indoor houseplants, her colorful rhododendrons, hydrangeas, daffodils and tulips when in bloom in the spring; watching Jeopardy, General Hospital, and cheering on the Seahawks and Mariners when the children came to visit. Benny, her adopted blond Havanese buddy, kept her company.
Betty was devoted to her faith. The family of seven children filled the pew every Sunday, and attended religious education classes (catechism). When Bert was deployed, Betty would lead nightly rosary with the younger children reciting the five decades on their rosary beads. When the children had children of their own, the extended family would come home for Easter Sunday and Christmas Eve services. After midnight mass, the Mamales and London familes would meet at the house to snack on lugao and hot chocolate. The house in Penn Cove would come alive the following morning when the grandchildren would tear into the mounds of presents under the tree. Betty prayed the rosary nightly, and read her prayer book for two hours before bedtime.
Bearing in mind The Pledge she vowed at Far Eastern University, Betty lived her life to be ‘charming, cheerful, faithful, virtuous, trustworthy, gracious, an inspiration to others, to serve unselfishly, make my home filled with sweetness, loyalty to God, family and country,’ She lived the words to that Pledge to a tee, as evidenced by the recent gracious comments on social media upon the heartbreaking news of her death.
Betty was preceded in death by her husband, Bert; parents Generoso and Celerina Pastor; siblings Charing, Maning and Demit; guardians Supe and Pilaling Pastor Payos. To mourn Betty and celebrate her life are children Aida (Rudy Gelacio), Belinda (Roy Powell), Bert Letrondo, Jr (Berni), Caeser Lettrondo, David Letrondo (Colleen), Edna (Gary Hurst), and Faye (Eric Tibbs); grandchildren Claire (Glenn Unger), Angela and Ken Martin (Mindy), Stefanie (Dustin Means), Devon Powell, Nikole (Brad Perdue), Pilar Letrondo, Brandon, Jared and GJ Hurst, Nathan and Arianna Tibbs; great-grandchildren Bodhi and Kaleo Unger, Tyler Rollyson, Cydnee (Austin Proffitt), Zackoby Martin, Seth Letrondo, Jacob, Piper and Graham Martin, Carter, Max and Hadley Means, Ryan and Ashley Perdue; great-great children Cayden and Myla Proffitt; countless number of loving cousins, nieces and nephews in the US and abroad; as well as godchildren, comadres, and compadres.
Donations in memory of Betty Letrondo may be made to: Fil Am of Oak Harbor Scholarship Fund, PO Box 38, Oak Harbor, WA 98277
Aug 18, 1923 - Sep 4, 2022
Beatriz Manipis Pastor Letrondo (aka/Atring/Betty), 99 years young, reunited with her beloved husband Norberto (aka as Berting/Bert) Campos Letrondo on September 4, 2022 and into the eternal embrace of our Heavenly Father at home, with daughter, Edna by her side. Beatriz was born in Palompon, Leyte, immigrated to the United States in 1955, was a resident of Oak Harbor, a parishioner of St Augustine since 1964, and was one of the “First Ladies” of the Filipino community. Her longevity is a testament to the loving care she received from her seven children: Aida, Belinda, Bert Jr, Ceaser, David, Edna, Faye; granddaughter Angela; caregivers: Monica, Aysa, John, Gayle, Erlina; and the Island County Hospice team: shower aide Jessica, RNs Jennifer and Susan, MSW Andrea, and Dr Fogarty.
Ninth and final day of novena rosary is on Monday, September 12, 2022, 12 noon at Wallin’s Funeral Home, followed by reception. Funeral mass is on Friday, September 16, 2022, 10:00 am at St. Augustine Catholic Church, followed by interment at Maple Leaf Cemetery and reception at Wallin’s. Funeral mass will be live-streamed on Facebook
Atring (as she was called in the Philippines) was the second of four children of Celerina Manipis Pastor and Generoso Pastor. Siblings Rosario, Atring, Manuel, and Demetrios were orphaned when Mother Celerina died during childbirth with Demit, and soon after, Father Generoso died from Tuberculosis. Auntie Pilaling Pastor Payos and Uncle Cipriano, raised the four siblings until adulthood during the Japanese Occupation (1942-1945) of WWII. Atring recalled to her children of the times when the blasting sirens would warn the villagers of approaching aerial dogfights with enemy planes, and running to the hills to hide, carrying young cousin Manolita on her back. Atring taught elementary school after she completed high school when the war ended.
After graduating from Far Eastern University, Atring worked for the Bureau of Commerce in Manila, where her future husband, former high school classmate and neighbor, Berting, USNavy, visited her at work, while on leave to get married in Cebu. As their love story is recounted, Berting told his cousin, a taxi cab driver, to take him to Atring, after he learned that Atring had broken off her engagement to be married. Berting and Atring received the blessings of both their parents and guardians, after Berting declared his love for Atring, and explained that had it not been for the fact that his friend had already started courting Atring, he would have pursued her.
After a whirlwind courtship, and wedding plans, Berting and Atring were married within the week, in 1950, and were stationed at Sangley Point, Cavite City, near Manila Bay. The household in Quezon City was surrounded with love, laughter and lots of relatives, as Berting and Atring had college student boarders who doted on Aida, Belinda, and Bert Jr.
Atring began the next phase of her life in the United States when the family transferred to Coronado, CA in 1955, with subsequent duty stations at Naval Air Station Moffett Field, NAS Lemoore, and NAS Whidbey Island, where Bert served his “twilight tour.” Her Tia Pilaling (Auntie Pilar) was beside herself, ‘what will you do in America without the help of all the maids?” The family expanded with the birth of Ceaser, David, Edna, and Faye. The joke was everytime Berting returned home from deployment, nine months later, a new baby was welcomed into the family. Faye was their “retirement baby.”
Americanized Betty was proud of her Filipino heritage. She was an excellent cook, best known for her alway precisely wrapped, perfectly crispy, sumptuous lumpia and homemade lumpia wrappers. In the 60’s and early 70’s, before lumpia wrappers were sold in the local markets or commissary, Betty took orders for lumpia wrappers and also provided the wrappers for the thousands of lumpia that the Filipino American Association of Oak Harbor sold for the Fourth of July and Holland Happening festivities in the early 70’s. Betty’s lumpia and pancit, (Filipino ‘spaghetti’ dish) were always a hit when she served Bert’s “Bicycle (Poker) Club” at the house with Bill, Jake, and Jerry.
An exceptional seamstress, Betty sewed matching shirts for the boys and matching dresses for the older girls, piano and couch covers, wedding gowns, cheerleader outfits, and Philippine native costumes for daughter Aida when she was a member of the Fil Am dance troupe.
Family was important to Betty. The family always looked forward to monthly gatherings to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, summer camping at Deception Pass and Bayview State Parks, Baker Lake, and Jim Creek. When the family expanded to include grandchildren and great-grandkids, the family would rent two houses side-by-side at Lake Chelan, Leavenworth, Pacific Beach, and condos at Birch Bay and Waikiki to party with an abundance of food and to bond with fishing, skimboarding, sandcastle building, sand dollar and seashell gathering, shopping at the international market, and luaus.
Always the gracious hostess, Betty welcomed family, friends and even strangers to her home and treated them as family. Summertime was always busy with out of state guests who enjoyed fishing and crabbing with Bert in his 20 foot boat, ‘Betty2”, clam and mussel digging in Penn Cove, jigging for smelt and herring at Cornet Bay.
Betty enjoyed her plentiful, verdant indoor houseplants, her colorful rhododendrons, hydrangeas, daffodils and tulips when in bloom in the spring; watching Jeopardy, General Hospital, and cheering on the Seahawks and Mariners when the children came to visit. Benny, her adopted blond Havanese buddy, kept her company.
Betty was devoted to her faith. The family of seven children filled the pew every Sunday, and attended religious education classes (catechism). When Bert was deployed, Betty would lead nightly rosary with the younger children reciting the five decades on their rosary beads. When the children had children of their own, the extended family would come home for Easter Sunday and Christmas Eve services. After midnight mass, the Mamales and London familes would meet at the house to snack on lugao and hot chocolate. The house in Penn Cove would come alive the following morning when the grandchildren would tear into the mounds of presents under the tree. Betty prayed the rosary nightly, and read her prayer book for two hours before bedtime.
Bearing in mind The Pledge she vowed at Far Eastern University, Betty lived her life to be ‘charming, cheerful, faithful, virtuous, trustworthy, gracious, an inspiration to others, to serve unselfishly, make my home filled with sweetness, loyalty to God, family and country,’ She lived the words to that Pledge to a tee, as evidenced by the recent gracious comments on social media upon the heartbreaking news of her death.
Betty was preceded in death by her husband, Bert; parents Generoso and Celerina Pastor; siblings Charing, Maning and Demit; guardians Supe and Pilaling Pastor Payos. To mourn Betty and celebrate her life are children Aida (Rudy Gelacio), Belinda (Roy Powell), Bert Letrondo, Jr (Berni), Caeser Lettrondo, David Letrondo (Colleen), Edna (Gary Hurst), and Faye (Eric Tibbs); grandchildren Claire (Glenn Unger), Angela and Ken Martin (Mindy), Stefanie (Dustin Means), Devon Powell, Nikole (Brad Perdue), Pilar Letrondo, Brandon, Jared and GJ Hurst, Nathan and Arianna Tibbs; great-grandchildren Bodhi and Kaleo Unger, Tyler Rollyson, Cydnee (Austin Proffitt), Zackoby Martin, Seth Letrondo, Jacob, Piper and Graham Martin, Carter, Max and Hadley Means, Ryan and Ashley Perdue; great-great children Cayden and Myla Proffitt; countless number of loving cousins, nieces and nephews in the US and abroad; as well as godchildren, comadres, and compadres.
Donations in memory of Betty Letrondo may be made to: Fil Am of Oak Harbor Scholarship Fund, PO Box 38, Oak Harbor, WA 98277