Carmelita Manglicmot lived a long, happy life and passed away peacefully at her home on Sunday, October 2, 2022 at 90 years young. She was surrounded by her children, grandchildren and friends. Carmelita, lovingly known as Mely, was born on July 16, 1932, in her family’s ancestral home in Natividad, Pangasinan, Philippines. She was the second of eight children of Silvestre and Bienvinida de Leon. She is survived by her six children and their spouses: Sudi and Noel, Eloisa and Tom, Jose Randy and Cindy, Marichu and Lawrence, Mary June and Frank, and Marie Lota and Martin. She cared deeply for her fifteen grandchildren and two great-grandchildren who gave her immense joy and purpose. In 1949, Carmelita became the first valedictorian and graduate of Natividad Oriental Academy. She attended the University of the East and in 1952, received her degree in Business Administration with honors. After graduating, she started her career as an accountant and met our father, Jose Manglicmot in 1957. They married three years later on February 7, 1960, and together, had six beautiful children. Our dad predeceased our mom in 1980. Carmelita became an educator in 1963, serving the community as a high school math and English teacher for fifteen years, all while raising a household of kids. She emigrated to the U.S. in 1979 and lived in Alameda, California, and then finally settled in Hayward. Carmelita worked as an accountant for Alameda County, where she met her second husband, Mr. Felix Camerino, from 1979 until her retirement in 1999. Throughout the duration of her retirement, Carmelita travelled to eleven European countries and visited her beloved town of Natividad several times. When home, she was passionate about her hobbies: reading novels and poetry, writing her journals, doing daily crossword puzzles, tending to her rose and orchid gardens, winning and losing in the casinos, and hosting lively mahjong sessions with a plethora of friends. She lived her life in the words of Ralph Waldo Emmerson, “The ornament of a house is the people who frequent it.” Mom’s house served as a home, a hall, a meeting place, and restaurant where no family or strangers were ever turned away. Throughout her lifetime, Carmelita exhibited indiscriminate generosity and unconditional goodwill, providing support for countless families. Even in sickness, she was devoted to helping others and paid every blessing forward. She never missed an opportunity to celebrate her loved ones-- diligently attending graduations, weddings, and baptisms until the very end. Carmelita leaves behind a legacy of gratitude, grace, and strength. She will be missed for her unrelenting spirit, limitless generosity, bright humor, quick wit, and above all, her enduring love for her family and friends. In her absence, may we always remember to love fiercely.
