Mrs. Lucia Ong Sioson

Lucia was born in Manila, Philippines on March 5, 1933 and entered eternal life on July 6, 2014 at the age of 81. Lucy was a resident of San Marcos, California. She passed peacefully in her home with her family at her bedside. She battled pulmonary fibrosis for many years, and three weeks before her passing was diagnosed with congestive heart and kidney failure. Lucy is survived by her husband Nestor; daughters Lanie and Anna; grandchildren Kristoffer, Lauren, Kiralynn, Jordyn-Mae, Juliann, and Kyla-Justine; her nephews/nieces Zenaida, Romeo, Estrellita, Teresita, Dolores, Ernesto, Jaime, and Armando; and her faithful dog, Prince. She is also celebrated by her many caring, supportive, and loving friends. Lucy was a true matriarch and adored by all. She was a social butterfly, always attending and throwing parties, and loved to be surrounded by her family and friends. She was truly a light in the lives of everyone who knew her. No one has ever left her house without a smile and a full stomach. She will be profoundly missed. Eulogy by Kristoffer Zelinka, Eldest Grandchild: Hello everyone and welcome, my name is Kristoffer. I am Grandma Lucy's eldest grandson. First and foremost, on behalf of our entire family, I would like to thank each and every one of you for taking the time to come out and celebrate with us while we wish our grandmother farewell as she returns home to be with her family where she will have everlasting peace. My Ate Anna approached me Tuesday and asked me if I would be able to do Grandma Lucy's eulogy. Of course without hesitating, I said "Sure". I knew I would figure it out. Of course, the first thing I did was ask my good friend Google, who always seemed to have the right answer for everything. Google's definition of a eulogy is a speech or piece of writing that praises someone or something highly, typically someone who just died. Believe me, I was still confused. So, guess what I put into the search box next, "eulogy samples". I was so tempted to just copy and paste, maybe change the words around so it would fit. I tried to take the easy way out, but of course, that's when I pictured Grandma making the schhtt sound and waiving her finger back and forth, saying, "You better not!" then it hit me. Grandma always said, "Never lie, cheat, or steal. Trust in god, and pray for the answers that you seek." So, like I was taught… I opened the bible to start looking for answers. And that's when I came across these verses. Leviticus 19:11 Do not steal, do not deceive or cheat one another. I would have cheated and deceived every one of you if I didn't write this eulogy myself. The second verse came to me right after I confessed my sins of trying to cheat writing her eulogy. Matthew 7:7 Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. So i asked! The third verse came right after i asked. Matthew 10:20 For it is not you who will be speaking, but the spirit of your Father speaking through you. So am going to let our Father speak. Bible Verse: John 3:13-17 13 No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended from heaven, the Son of man. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life." 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Grandma Lucy loved God with all her heart. It is the same love she had for each and every one of us. She taught us how to love God and pray, just as she did. She wanted us to show others the same love and share the wealth. But what is Love? 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. We can all sit here today and say this is Grandma Lucy's love for each and every one of us. Along with our parents, grandma was our teacher every single day of our lives. She taught us through her actions, or through discipline when we did something wrong. True definition of "actions speak louder than words" although sometimes her words were right on. She was always honest and pretty blunt. God blessed Grandma Lucy with so many gifts. She was nurturing. Caring. Loving, Honest. And she was a really good cook. They always say, "A way to man's heart is through his stomach." She knew what she was doing. Grandma Lucy sacrificed a lot for love and Family! She took care of everyone. It started with her nieces and nephews. Two of them who are here today, Ate Zeny and my Mom, Techie. Then her daughters, Ninang Lanie and Ate Anna. And then her grand children: Lauren, Kira, Jordyn, Julie, Kyla and me. I am sure a lot of us here would love to retire and watch grand kids all day. But I'm telling you, the 6 of us were a handful! I am sure she said to herself, "Man at least when I clock out I can leave work. My grand kids are always around me." Visiting her after the hospital, Ate Anna and I were doctors and Lauren was the nurse. For those of you who don't know, she retired from work so she can help raise her grandchildren while their parents went to work. It started with me the favorite, to Lauren (the second favorite), all the way down to her most precious, Prince (her dog, who took all of our places). She would call Prince, Kris at times. But truth be told we were all her favorite. It took a special person to handle all of us, and I am sure we can all agree that Grandma Lucy is special. The kind of love Grandma Lucy felt for us was a love without condition. She may not have approved of everything we did or are doing, may not have liked or like some of the decisions we have made… BUT she loved us. She just kept loving us… letting us know that she was there and if we ever needed her, we could count on her no matter what. We were the most important people in the world to her. She lived to make our lives better. We can never forget that there is a part of her in each of us. That was her most precious gift, something that she gave to us and asked nothing in return. Grandma Lucy lives in us (so when you hear that voice Lauren, Kira, Jordyn, Julie and Kyla, think of her waving her finger!). The best way to honor Grandma Lucy is to remember the things she has taught us and pass them down. THIS is our family legacy that has been passed down through generations - God and love. Let us continue this legacy. I may not have been able to perfectly express in words what my grandmother meant to each of us because WORDS SIMPLY CANNOT CAPTURE LOVE. For all of us who are blessed enough to know and love our grandmother the only things that will truly capture who she is are the warm memories that we each hold within our hearts. I will leave you with quote: A Heart of steel has stopped beating, two shining eyes at rest. God broke our hearts to prove, he only takes the best. So, for: Your wisdom. Your humor. Your tenderness. Your compassion. Your understanding. Your patience. And, your love… thank you, Grandma Lucy. Thank you so much. I love you.

Mrs. Lucia Ong Sioson

March 5, 1933 - July 6, 2014