Page created by: Fran Canilao Schwartz

Teresita Katigbak Canilao, or Tessie as you know, was a daughter, a mother, and a
grandmother. As an only child, her parents, Jose and Victorina Katigbak doted on her.

Tessie lived her life with kindness and compassion.
These traits were seen by all who knew her; including her three children, two granddaughters, and her colleagues at the Philippine Consulate General offices.

Tragically, Tessie will never know the ease of retirement.
She will never see her son, Joey, will marry his true love – Christine.
She will never see her granddaughter, Hallie, graduate from college or Kayla graduate from high school.
She will never experience the joy of great-grandchildren.
We must all take comfort in the belief that she is at peace and that there is no pain and suffering in the plane of her existence.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in her memory to the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.
Our family is also grateful for any contribution to help with the costs of her memorial services. Contributions can be made at Gofundme - search for Tessie Canilao.

An excerpt from her eulogy:
Tessie graduated from St. Theresa’s College in the Philippines and entered the foreign service. She was career driven, but that did not stop her from having three children, Mary Frances, Mary May, and Jose Paolo.

Education was of the utmost importance, as evidenced by the great sacrifice she made to ensure all three of her children attended private Catholic school in Hawaii. Working in the foreign service, and particularly at the Philippine Consulate General in Honolulu,
was a fundamental purpose of her life. So much so that she devoted over 50 years of her life to that.

She also found strength from her belief in God. My mother was a devout Catholic and regularly attended mass until the ravages of Parkinson’s disease prevented her from doing so.

My mother experienced profound joy in her granddaughters, Hallie and Kayla. She would visit us annually in Los Angeles, California, until her health prevented travel. We would also visit with her in Hawaii, on Oahu, Kauai and the Big Island, over the years.

As you know, Tessie practiced the golden rule. She did unto others what she would hope others would have done unto her, in the most beautiful, selfless, honest, gracious manner. She never raised her voice or even said a mean thing about anyone. And if she was disgruntled, she kept it to herself.

Here are the words that describe my mother:
Kind, compassionate, empathetic, humble, genuine, caring, devout, dependable,
trustworthy, gentle, open-minded, and irreproachable.

She believed in everyone and in the virtue of mankind, even those for whom forgiveness maybe hard to justify. Although her disease debilitated her, my mother was the most innocent soul who had more life to live.

My mother has touched thousands of lives, near and far over her lifetime. I believe she has made a positive, caring, and most loving impact on the lives of her family, friends, co-workers, colleagues, and individuals.

On behalf of my family, I am so grateful that you were able to share a part of my mother’s life, however great or small.