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RONALD, ROMMEL, CANDY THIS IS JUST TO LET YOU KNOW HOW DEEPLY WE FEEL FOR YOUR LOSS. YOUR MOM HAS ALWAYS BEEN OUR FRIEND THOUGH WE LOST TOUCH OF HER WHEN SHE MOVED TO AKRON. WE WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HER FONDLY. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELVES. TITO RUDY AND TITA TRINING AND CHILDREN

We are sorry to hear about Carmen's death. We condole with you and pray for the eternal repose of her soul. The Santoses and Tuanos are one in commiserating with you on what happened to Carmen, so are Baby and Bunny. Please give us the funeral details and the date of the interment. Again, our deepest sympathies.

You do not know me. I am a close friend of Jolene from the Philippines, and I have been following up the progress of Tita Carmen's condition.

My heart hurts for all of you and please be assured that she and all of you will always be in my prayers. God bless!

Caroyln, Rommel Megan & Taylor We wish to extend our sincere sorrow for your loss, our family knew your mother and grandmother for only a short period of time compared to most but in the times that she came to Mississauga we noticed she always brought happiness to your family. She treated everyone with the greatest amount of respect and even when Lauren and Ryan came over to play she made them feel that they were always welcome. We will miss seeing her at your house but we will keep the memory of her smiling face with us, as we know you will hold her forever in your hearts. Please remember she will always be with you, and anytime you need her she will be there, listening to you and guiding you as she had in life. All our love Sheri, Art, Lauren and Ryan Cabeceira

Ron (and everyone) ... Words can't begin to express my sorrow for the loss of Tita Carmen. She is one of the most gracious, kind and charming souls that I have ever come across, and I know the void that it will leave in all of your lives. Although I did not know her too well, what I do know is that she touched my heart with her kindness everytime I came across her. Her example is one to follow. Her last wishes are inspiration for us all. Its brought me to think more deeply about family and what really matters. I've been inspired to appreciate life, to realize how delicate it is. Take care of each other, and we'll see you on Saturday. Love, Neil

I am so very sorry about your mom's death . I had hoped and prayed over the past several days that she would make a full recovery.

I can't begin to tell you how deeply touched I was with each entry you made on the web. Your every emotion was felt with each word I read. Last night, after Marie, Ed, Ioulia and Pete had left, I found myself sitting at my desk crying uncontrollably. I had decided to check the site one more time before I left. It's at that moment I knew she had passed away. Your description of the final minutes was overwhelming.

I've told Carmen's story to many people, and each time I spoke with my mother or sister they would always make a point of asking how she was doing. Sadly, I telephoned my mom on the way home last night and told her your mom was in heaven. This tragedy has reminded me how important it is to tell my mom that I love her very much. I'm never going to take it for granted that she automatically knows this.

I envy you for being able to be with your mom during her final minutes. I was not able to be there with my dad when he died. This is something that I feel very guilty about. Your mom must have felt very loved.

You are not only my boss Ron, but a friend. I care very much about you. If you ever feel the need to talk to someone, I'm here for you.

We'd like to express our deepest condolences to you and your family. Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time. Sincerely, Isabel and Brook Boley

Hi Rommel, Caroline and all your family. We heard the news today from Giles and have checked the web site regularly to stay in touch. I don't believe any words exist in spoken language that can convey the depth and range of emotions experienced when someone we love leaves us. The Irish in me says - make this a time of celebration - celebrate the gift of life - the woman who lived, loved, laughed - was your Mother and nothing in all of life can change that. Celebrate her life - find strength in each other. Janet

Dear Jim, Ron, Rommel and Candy As the sibling that followed Carmen, I felt a disadvantage for a long, long time. First of all, she could draw faster and talk faster and longer than I could. She was more imaginative than I was, although that sometimes mushroomed into wild ideas, as you know very well. I always admired her resourcefulness. Sometime in the early 1970's, she told me how her marriage was suffering from the overseas career of her husband. After thinking about her predicament for a while, I suggested that she considered immigrating to Canada, where the family could experience new opportunities and new directions. It was a shot in the dark, but Carmen had always been good catching shots in the dark and turning them into opportunities. With three young children, she knew it would be difficult, if not impossible to bring all three at once. So she left Candy with Nanay and Tatay and off she went to Canada. In spite of income and other shortfalls, Carmen imbued her children with the desire for higher education. Nothing, no one could get her down for good. When her marriage broke up, she managed to continue working while raising her kids alternatively with their father. When she met Jim, we were curious what this guy we renamed, "Jim Huwag-na" would be like. Well resourceful Carmen landed a perfect gentlman, a hard worker, a loyal GM worker and a hobby farmer. What a team they have made over years. When our first daughter married and moved away, Carmen became like surrogate mother to Angelique, even to Angelique's wild dog. I thought intellectual Angelique would not hit it off with Carmen, but Carmen made short work of that by taking in both Angelique and Bart whenever they were driving north to Canada. Thank you, Carmen, for being family for Angelique in America. When Carmen and Jim visited Portugal earlier this year, I got a frantic email from Jolene, our second daughter: "Tita Carmen is missing. Do you know where she is?" Carmen could not locate Jolene over the weekend as the latter had gone with her husband to his hometown. So Carmen took Jim to Fatima and without knowing it, prepared herself for the trip to heaven in a few months. Jolene thought Carmen and Jim were such lovely relatives to show their new apartment. Carmen was the first of us to see their place. No wonder Jolene sobbed uncontrollably over the phone when we told her C armen might have to leave us. We have always thought that the good die young, and that Carmen would be the family centenarian. As it turned out, Carmen WAS the good one in the family. We will miss her nonstop prattle, her offbeat humor, her sprituality, her strange ways of dressing. But most of all, we shall miss the love she had given us and our daughters. We love you, dearest Carmen. We shall all be together. Joe and Angela Faustino

My dear Ron,

Our most fervent prayers and sympathy for your Mom. Heaven will welcome the
most unusual person/cousin I've ever known, actually best described by you.
Every word you wrote  gave me a perfect memory of her. Family used to say she
was a carbon copy of Tita Luz (Grandma to you) but I think she went beyond
Tita Luz to achieve her unusual character which made her so special to me.
Just like her surprise visits to you, my phone would ring at10:30 pm and I
would hear "Ginny, si Carmen ito". Not to forget the 3 hour gap. And she
would give detailed events just like her last trip to Vegas when she took the
time to get on a phone booth just to give a detailed report of where they
were, what they did, and what to do next. She would only say good-bye when
she began to notice a line behind her--not how much the long distance cost.
That was Carmen, my favorite cousin. Your greatest Mom!

Please forward this message to Rommel and Candy as I don't have their email
address. Thank you.

Love,
Ginny & Hollis