Elvira Coloma Rodolfo's Obituary
Elvira Coloma Rodolfo, “Elvie” as she was dearly known to her loved ones, was 77 years old when she passed away peacefully. She was surrounded in love with family by her side on January 13, 2024 at Sutter Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley, CA.
Elvie was born on August 3, 1946 in Manila, Philippines. She was the first-born child of Teodoro Coloma and Remedios Lazaro Louth. Elvie studied at Mapa High School in Legarda, Manila and attended college at the Philippine College of Commerce.
Elvie worked at the Girl Scouts of the Philippines as Junior Girl Scout Master and during this time she met and married retired Police Chief Col. Anthony Moyano Rodolfo. Four children were born from this union. For many years, Elvie was a stay-at-home mom to her four children in Kamuning, Quezon City. But during those years, Elvie was never bored. She kept herself busy by learning so many trades like cutting and perming hair, sewing clothes, curtains and sofa covers, tattooing eyebrows and eyeliners, cooking, baking, making ham from scratch, raising and cultivating snails (escargots) for culinary use as her hobbies.
After many years of being a stay-at-home mom, Elvie became a licensed real estate agent and a retirement plan sales agent. This is around the time she also met many of her friends that she became very active and involved in aerobics classes at the Quezon Memorial Circle Park. She also became an avid runner and a fine ballroom dancer. She loved ballroom dancing so much that she was able to rekindle her love for dancing at the Sampaguita Seniors Ballroom Dancing Club in San Jose, CA for many years before the Covid pandemic.
Elvie joined the rest of her family and immigrated to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1996. Thanks to her sister Tessie and brother-in-law Rolly Recio who established the entire Coloma family in the US. Elvie worked at the First American Title Company. In 2003, Elvie and her daughter Tonette purchased their home in Hayward, CA. They continue to live there with their family. In 2016, she retired from JC Paper in Fremont, CA. She then became a full-time caregiver to her mom Remy until Remy passed away in 2021.
It has been Elvie’s lifelong mission to help many people. She not only sent her granddaughters to nursing school but she sent money to countless people in need of financial help in the Philippines. She is the most thoughtful, generous and giving person we know. She also loved to cook for everyone.
As much as she loved music and dancing, she also loved sushi and seafood. She is a Pad Thai snob. She is a news junky and she loved watching lighthearted movies and comedies. She loved shopping. Her favorite stores are Walmart, Ross, and Home Depot (plants). Elvie loved to garden and her garden loved her. She definitely had the green thumb. She filled her home with plants, flowers, succulents and cacti. Gardening was her favorite hobby. She also loved to travel and visit new places. She’s been to many parts of Australia, Hong Kong and she loved Hawaii. She loved animals, particularly her cats. Best of all, she loved her family, especially her children, grandchildren and great grandchild. They meant the world to her.
Elvie leaves behind a very large and loving family. She was cherished and dearly loved by her family and friends. She was a beloved, dedicated and caring mother to her late son Eric, and living children Erwin, Edwin and Tonette; loving grandmother to Erica, Samantha (and Chris – husband of Samantha), Denise, Nikki, Jayson and Abby. Great grandmother to Francesa. Mother-in-law to Tina, Analie, Mira and Todd. Sister to Tessie, Boyet, Cynthia and her late sister Lillian. Aunt, great aunt, sister-in-law, niece and cousin to the Coloma, Lazaro and Rodolfo family in California, Chicago, Florida, Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, and the Philippines. A great friend to countless friends and neighbors. A loving cat mom to Ashley, Pepper, Sassy, Chloe and Zeus and dog mom to Sophie. A caring plant mom to countless plants, cacti and succulents.
PS: Elvie is not a fan of wearing black at funerals. Blue is her favorite color so the family is encouraging attendees to wear blue on her Jan. 31st and Feb 1st. Thank you.
What’s your fondest memory of Elvira?
What’s a lesson you learned from Elvira?
Share a story where Elvira's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Elvira you’ll never forget.
How did Elvira make you smile?