Apolonio Simpliciano Luis Sr's Obituary
Apolonio Simpliciano Luis was born on September 28, 1937 in San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte, Philippines. He was the youngest of 7 children. When he left the Philippines, he lived in Hawaii. He met his wife, Lydia, when she was on vacation in Hawaii. After they married, they moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in California where they have lived ever since.
He passed on July 21, 2023 at home in Union City, California, surrounded by family.
He is survived by his wife, Lydia; daughter Lilybeth, and son Apolonio Jr. He also has 2 grandchildren - Kenshin (8yo) and Kayla (5yo).
His primary occupation was as a metal fabricator, a role which he worked for many years. When he lived in Hawaii, in his youth, he worked for a time as a firefighter and ironworker. His last few years of working before retiring was at Kelly Moore Paints in Fremont. He had steady hands for most of his life, and retained his strong workman's grip up until his last days.
Apolonio liked playing cards--he could often be found in the garage of his home playing solitaire. There were many road trips to Reno and occasionally to Las Vegas, where he would play in the casino. He enjoyed playing poker, blackjack and the slots with his wife. You would also find him playing mahjong with friends for hours on end at parties.
When his kids were younger, he would often take them to the park. As Lydia was working nights as a nurse, Apolonio started work early in the morning and came home in time to have dinner with the kids and prepare them for bed. He would take them Trick or Treating on Halloween. On trips to Nevada, when he was not playing in the casino, he would take the kids to the midway arcade and win them stuffed animals. They had quite a collection.
The family would also go to Southern California to visit Apolonio’s older sister, Mercedes, and several of his nieces and nephews. Apolonio greatly enjoyed visiting his relatives, and this was at least a yearly trip, and often landed around his birthday. He took pride in driving the family around in the big red van for hours at a time on family road trips.
He liked watching sports. He was a fan of the San Francisco 49ers and the San Francisco Giants, and would often rewatch the multiple championships the Giants won in the 2010s. He also liked watching wrestling and action movies.
Many would remember Apolonio as a great storyteller. He would attend many friends and family parties, telling stories. One of his favorite stories to retell was one of his earliest memories in the Philippines, evacuating his childhood home to the hills to hide from the fighting during World War II. He looked back at this experience with a sort of fondness, and even likened it to camping outside with the whole neighborhood--characteristic of his hardiness and ability to adapt to difficult situations.
Apolonio will be remembered as a loving father, husband, grandfather, uncle, and brother who valued family above all else, for his humility and work ethic, his kindness and soft-spoken nature.
What’s your fondest memory of Apolonio?
What’s a lesson you learned from Apolonio?
Share a story where Apolonio's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Apolonio you’ll never forget.
How did Apolonio make you smile?