Carmelita Canio's Obituary
CARMELITA BAUTISTA CANIO entered the heavenly Kingdom of Our Lord on January 18, 2024 in Santa Clara, California. She was born in the small town of Abulalas, Hagonoy Bulacan on May 14, 1936. She was the fifth child of 7 children, born to a successful business distributor, Bernardino Bautista and the beautiful Feliza Suerte Felipe Go.
Carmelita was a strong-willed and daring child. Despite having asthma, she was carefree. She enjoyed playing outdoors with her siblings and cousins; especially challenging the boys in her family with games at every opportunity. Carmelita didn’t mind getting dirty as she often was seen climbing the mango trees at her home. She fell in love with the piano at age 4 and was a natural talent. Although classically trained, she was able to listen to music and quickly repeat it on the piano. She regularly played for her father, filling their home with the sweet sounds of Mozart & Beethoven.
At age 10, her life completely changed as her mother tragically died from a massive stroke. She learned to be responsible and matured quickly. Her father relied on Carmelita to be strong, as she cared for her younger siblings and provided support to the whole family. She moved to Candaba, Pampanga to support her eldest sister. After completing her primary schooling, she attended Saint Andrews High School in Candaba; where she enjoyed folk dancing and often won competitions. Her favorite courses were history and science.
After high school, she attended Mapua Institute of Technology (MIT) in Manila, studying in the College of Engineering and Chemistry. At MIT, she enrolled in the Philippines Reserve Officer Training Corp (ROTC) and was a member of the Chi Sigma Mu Honor Society. She was the first of her family to attend college and was part of the first female graduating class at the university. She earned a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Chemical Engineering, graduating with highest honors and outperforming her male counterparts.
After college, she worked at Pascual Laboratories and sent money to support her family. She returned to Candaba for a fiesta and reconnected with a former high school classmate named Rodolfo Canio. He had great influence in helping her get a job as the physics and chemistry teacher for Pampanga High School. Their friendship led to a courtship and romance. They married February 24th, 1963. They started their family in San Fernando, Pampanga and had 4 children: Bernadette, John, Enelyn and Timoteo. While raising her family, she was able to win a scholarship from Shell Corporation in 1966 and completed a Masters program in Chemistry at the University of the Philippines.
Carmelita and her husband Rodolfo made the difficult decision to immigrate to the United States of America in 1970. Rodolfo left first to find a home and Carmelita soon followed. After working odd jobs in Oakland, California, she completed an exam as a laboratory technician and began working for Kaiser Hospital in Hayward in 1974 as a phlebotomist. Despite working a full-time job, she found ways to make more money through her several business ventures. She sent money to her family that would fund the education of her nieces and nephews back home.
As a devout Catholic, central to her life was God and family. Carmelita and Rodolfo knew the importance of caring for those in need and routinely opened their homes to family and friends until they were able to stand on their own. During the weekends, she loved visiting the many Catholic churches in the San Francisco Bay Area, gathering with family and friends for food and prayer.
Carmelita was known for her amazing cooking, her wonderful sense of humor, and her love of music and
dancing. She had a keen business sense and enjoyed competing in games, especially mahjong and
scrabble. Carmelita and Rodolfo were in love and inseparable. In retirement, they were able to travel
the world together from Europe to Asia. Her favorite trips were to the Vatican City, the Holy Land, Our
Lady of Fatima in Portugal and Lourdes in France. She spent all her time caring for her grandchildren,
often shuttling them back and forth from school and attending all their school activities, music recitals
and sports.
She was beloved by all who knew her. Her life was well lived and filled with gratitude, service, and
kindness. Her legacy of love will continue to live on forever in the hearts of her family. Carmelita is
survived by her children, Bernadette, John, Enelyn and Timoteo and 12 grandchildren.
What’s your fondest memory of Carmelita?
What’s a lesson you learned from Carmelita?
Share a story where Carmelita's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Carmelita you’ll never forget.
How did Carmelita make you smile?