It was 12:19am of March 20th then … just a couple of days away (March 22 to be exact) from what was always celebrated — well at least among the Manalo clan — as the “most important date of the year” … Daddy Deo’s (or Oyed to some) birthday!.. He would’ve turned 78 …
Backtracking a bit, Dad was diagnosed to have angina pectoris in 1996 and has been on nitrolingual maintenance since then. While he was here, he had nitrolingual tablets hanging on a small bottle on his neck. When they went to the US, their cardiologist also prescribed nitrolingual tablets, but later changed it to nitrolingual spray instead because the effect is much faster. He usually took one spray before doing a strenuous activity and the effect is good for at least 12 hours. But this was done only when necessary … He was conscious and extra-cautious with his diet and was very religious with his medications. Eventually, all that paid off as he was always given a clean bill of health during his Quarterly Physical Exams and was found to still be fit to work. However, on February 28th, he just happened to have left his nitrolingual spray at a time when he badly needed it. Thus, by 11:45pm of that day, he had phoned Mom to inform that he wasn’t feeling that well and would immediately need the spray as soon as he would arrive home … Unfortunately though, Dad suffered from a heart attack, which was actually his first since the diagnosis 13 years ago, and didn’t survive …
From time to time, certain “what ifs” would cross our minds … but later comes the acceptance that, indeed, it really was Dad’s time to go home and be with the Lord … We are all just thankful that the attack did not happen on the freeway while he was driving home. He was still able to reach home, even able to park the car in the driveway and spend his last moments with Mom by his side … And knowing Dad, too, am sure that during those final moments, he was fervently praying and lifting everything up to God, offering his life and then faithfully accepting His will …
During the necrological service held at the Holy Family Parish last Monday, March 9th, there were so many things that I heard and still learned about Dad … from the eulogists who willingly related their memories of him, from colleagues from various socio-civic organizations who credited him for his numerous contributions and projects, from relatives who shared unforgettable moments with him and from family friends whose lives he had touched in one way or another … They all talked about the many acts of kindness and selfless deeds he has done as a faithful servant of our Lord, how jolly and optimistic a person he was and how he was as a little man of BIG faith …
Till the very end, he remained to be the selfless person that he was — he was still of service to others … Dad signed up to be an organ donor … And last March 15th, Mom informed that she received certificates of appreciation from the eye bank and Life-Sharing organizations and how these groups considered Dad to be a hero for also donating parts of his body to be able to help someone in need. Just to mention, these included his eyes, skin from the torso, arms and buttocks for reconstructive surgery, limbs from his legs to help someone walk, and even a part of his brain to be able to help a person’s mind work again. A full life lived, indeed. Amidst all the pain brought by the loss, I felt truly proud and humbled at the same time …
You know, as our way of paying tribute to Dad, there were two AVPs which I did few days after his passing … They were done in a rush, with the hope to make it in time for the March 7th viewing in San Diego, CA and for the necrological rites here in Manila on March 9th. Then for some reason, the AVPs couldn’t be sent to the U.S. by email and the upload in youtube suddenly took ages to complete … Needless to say, it didn’t beat the March 7th timeline … We were also fortunate to have been granted permission to hold a simultaneous viewing online from 3:00am – 8:00am, Manila time of March 8th … We all had hoped to see Dad one last time … But then again, the technician assigned to take care of this unexpectedly became unavailable … On March 9th, in spite of having conducted a test-run prior, the AVPs also didn’t play during the necrological rites … Mom said that probably, Dad didn’t want us to see him – well not yet – in his lifeless state, there, lying in a casket … that maybe Dad preferred it that people would remember him the way he was while he was still alive … and that perhaps, too, Dad wanted to spare people from leaving the viewing and necrological rites with heavy hearts …
It then reminded me of a song that Dad once told me about twelve years ago, he said it was one of his favorites … That time though, I thought the lyrics sounded kinda morbid so I didn’t give it as much attention … I never thought it would take me more than a decade to eventually appreciate the song … I now find it to be very fitting since the words, most especially the chorus part, best encapsulates the kind of memory Dad wants us to have of him … Add to it, the song’s tempo isn’t your usual fare of a highly emotional ballad, thus, when you get to hear it, you just know that it speaks so much of how Dad is like, and always will be … The chorus says:
And when I die I keep on living
You’ll always have my love seeing you through
I’ll be your angel up in heaven
Forever all my love will shine on you
Cause baby I love you
Baby I need you, yes, I do
So this was the song used in one of the AVPs …Its title is “When I Die”, and sung by No Mercy in 1997 …
The other AVP is a simple presentation of Dad as a father to his five children, as father-in-law to his “manugangs”, as a grandfather to seven (now going eight) grandchildren and as a husband, bestfriend and soulmate to Mom … We wished to have included more pictures … but I guess everything in there is sufficient to tell a lot about him…
These videos were both uploaded in youtube, finally, haha!.. If you want to check it out, you can just type its tags, DMM AVP, in the search bar … or copy paste the following links below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSp2DLRsV0whttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFzpbgQB3dY
Dad’s remains have been cremated and is temporarily home with Mom … One day soon, he’ll be brought home here and his cremains, laid in a final resting place …
Dad always ended his emails, phone conversations and text messages to all of us with “I luv u 8”, which he said meant that he will love us till eternity … I know Dad is in a much better place now (with our little angel, his granddaughter, Crissa) and will always look down upon us and take care of us …“Dad, you will be greatly missed … WE LUV U 8!”
During Dad’s birthday last Sunday, March 22, the family requested friends and relatives to say a short prayer for him, for his soul, and to read thru his favorite Bible verse, Psalm 23 …
Psalm 23 - A psalm of David
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death, [a]
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.
Life is never the same anymore without Dad... And as Father's Day approaches (on June 21st), our first actually without him, we will request the same again from friends and relatives... Happy Father's Day, Dad!..
And once more, we thank everyone very much from the bottom of our hearts …
-- Mom, kids and grandkids …
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