Ester Relos' Obituary
THE LIFE OF ESTER PASCO RELOS
Our Mom, Ester Relos, was born in the Philippines on March 26, 1934 to her parents Florentino Pasco and Josefa Abatayo. Mom’s sisters and brothers were Ernesto Pasco, Rudolfo Pasco, Dulce Powell, and Felipe Trevila. David Pasco and Josephine Jose still reside in the Bay Area. Mom graduated from high school in March 1953 and attended Far Eastern University in the Philippines. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in November 1957, majoring in Accounting and worked for Mustan Company in Manila. Mom and Dad were married on May 6, 1961 and had two children, Eileen and Erwin before immigrating to the U.S. with her family in 1967 and soon after they had their third child, Nanci.
Our family lived in an apartment located on 25th Street and South Van Ness Avenue in the Mission District of San Francisco. We were very happy and had lots of memories living in our 2-story, 2-bedroom apartment. But in spite of all that one of mom’s dreams was to buy a house so she worked hard and managed to save enough money while employed at Levi Strauss & Co. in San Francisco for them to purchase their first home in 1977 located in Fremont, CA. I remember every weekend our parents drove us to Fremont until the house was finished so we could watch it be built from the ground up. Mom would pack food to eat and I remember my brother, sister and I would go around the neighborhood playing and chasing rabbits until we were ready to drive back to San Francisco. Once we moved into our new home, my mom started shopping around at many fabric stores searching for the perfect materials to make her own curtains for all of the windows in the house. She spent countless hours sewing until she was done making the curtains. Her next project was to cement the front and back yards and when done mom began working on the landscape where she planted various different roses and cactuses, a lemon and an orange tree, orchids and many other plants. Mom was so proud to finally be a homeowner knowing this would be the home where she would settle down, raise her children and grow old with our dad.
Mom enjoyed several tours to Europe, the Virgin Islands and other countries. She also loved traveling to Hawaii, Philippines and Australia. One of her fondest memories (and mine) was a 21-day cruise to the Mediterranean. During one of our excursions to a flea market, she was separated from us and we found her just in time before the bus had to leave. We found her walking around shopping while she lost track of time. Her last vacation was with me and Rosie in Waikiki. I will never forget her laughter and joy just being there having a great time so happy and carefree.
Mom lived life to the fullest especially when she was with her family. You could see the sparkle in her eyes and the glow of happiness in her face from being very happy because she was surrounded by her kids and grandkids all together at her house, laughing and enjoying each other’s company. Mom was the rock that held our family together!!
Mom’s home away from home were her time at my house or at Erwin’s house on weekends and sometimes weeks at a time. While at our house she also did some gardening. Neighbors walking by would stop and compliment the beautiful garden mom created. When asked who did the landscaping, we proudly said it was our mom!
Mom’s hobbies were going to the movie theater, shopping and dining out. Mom was outgoing so we took her to places such as the shopping mall, flea market, restaurants and other places. While shopping with mom, Rosie and I had to stay close to her because she had a tendency to wander away and disappear as soon as we turned our backs for a few seconds. Once gone, we would spend time looking for her and yelling “Mom! where are you” to the point that people would stop and look at us as if we were crazy. Nanci knows what I am talking about because it happened to her too.
Mom was very loving, kind, and generous and enjoyed helping others without asking anything in return. She was there for anyone to confide in, for a shoulder to lean on. She comforted and helped many.
After 2 ½ months of battling her illness, mom passed away at the age of 86 on December 14, 2020 at 3:16 p.m. She is survived by her husband Nicomedes Relos, daughters Eileen and Nanci and son Erwin, grandchildren Melissa, Kelly, EJ and Lanz, great grand children Nevaeh, Anicia and Vanessa; and great, great granddaughter Leilani Monique.
MOM WAS LOVED AND WILL BE MISSED BY MANY.
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