Dateline: Chicago, December 30, 2007 (0830). Roger Guico first gave the sad news and then Evelyn, Chito's wife, gave the low down about the passing of our dear classmate and friend, Chito Edrosa on December 29 , 2007 at 2317 after being ill for sometime. He is survived by his wife, Evelyn, their children, Ron, Richelle and Randall, their two grandchildren, Riley and Brynna Reese and in-laws, Jane (Ron's wife), Patrick Siewers (Richelle's husband) and Shiela (Randall's wife).
Let us all pray for the eternal repose of his soul.
FUNERAL SERVICES FOR CHITO
Wake: January 6 - 7, 2008 from 3 to 9 PM
Funeral Mass: January 8, 2008 at 10:00 AM
Chapel Hill Gardens South
11333 Central Avenue
Oak Lawn, IL 60453
Phone Number: (708) 229-8110
St. Alexander's Church
7025 W. 7025 W. 126th Street
Palos Heights, IL 60463
Phone Number: (708) 448-4861
Chito Edrosa and his family (2006)
Then almost eerily and seemingly from his grave, we received the following touching mesage from: Ramoncito Edrosa <chitoedrosa@sbcglobal.net writing through his daughter, Richelle E. Siewers:
Hello Everyone-- I am writing from my dad's e-mail, this is Chito's daughter, Richelle--
My family and I would like to extend our deepest gratitude for all the support, prayers and comfort that so many of you have given to us during my dad's illness. Your friendship, love, and prayers helped him so deeply throughout his most difficult times. For that, we cannot ever thank you enough. As most of you know, my Dad lost his battle to cancer last night shortly before midnight. It was a peaceful and painless passing and he was surrounded by his dearest friends and family. We ask for your continued prayers as he makes a new home with the Lord.
For any inquiries, Chito's daughter, Richelle E. Siewers can be contacted through her e-mail raedrosa@hotmail.com and/or by phone at 708-448-4670 or 708 302-0572.
From Nong Testa: My dear classmates: Let us all pray for Chito who is now watching over all of us. May those he has left behind find comfort in his memories of living life to the fullest, always ready to join the fun and be part of the great class of 67. Death must not scare us, as Doris suggested. Love your children and grandchildren and never let a day pass without saying" I love you"; act as if you will live forever, but live your life as if it is your last. Think only happy and good thoughts of everyone you meet. Chito, you are now the 32nd of our classmates up in the Heavens. Prepare a place for all of us for our 100th reunion.
From Rose Noble: Ted and I are deeply saddened by Chito's passing. We will call Evelyn and join everyone in praying for the eternal repose of his soul.May he rest in peace. Now, his suffering is over and he is back with the good Lord.
From Pressy and Ed Holgado: We are expressing our condolences and deep sorrow for the passing of Chito. He was very loved by the class 67. WE missed him on our Ruby reunion. His cheery face we can remember well on our Coral Jubilee in Manila. San Francisco was very much remembered by his presence. Chito, you are now in peace . You will always be remembered by your friends and classmates, Cannot forget that whenever we saw each other, your first approach was, “Pressy ,what are we presenting? Let us prepare a number. “ And of course, he would be ready to practice. Our presentation of the group waltz at Vegas and the practice at Narcing's home was our enjoyable time together. Evelyn, be strong. Remember your are still an auxiliary member of our class, We hope to see you even without Chito.
To the children of Chito - Your Dad was an extraordinary person, good humored, very helpful, outstanding and very much loved. We will pray for the repose of his soul.
Eternal rest grant onto Chito, O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul rest in peace!
We will continue to pray.
From Cora Gemil: Dear Richelle, thank you for keeping us posted with your Dad's funeral arrangement. He was in our thoughts and prayers when we had our recent reunion in Manila as we were told of the gravity of his illness during the weeks before we left for the Philippines. He was a leader of our class having represented his sections as president and in later years as president of our class foundation. Please extend our condolence and our prayers to your mother, Evelyn and your siblings.
From Andy Alisuag: I join the whole Class '67 in grieving the loss of our beloved friend Chito. He will always be remembered as a very nice and cheery gentleman with a sweet smile. Although I knew him during our school days at the University, I got to know him well when we were interns at Reyes Memorial Hospital in Manila. He was well liked even by the interns from the other schools (Far Eastern University and Manila Central University). He was also very active then in our organization.
I remember Evelyn as the most attractive nurse in the hospital who caught the eye of your handsome father. They were a perfect pair. I know that he will be missed a lot by his family and friends. Rest assured however, that we will all remember him in our prayers. He is now free of pain and in the company of our Creator.
May God bless you all.
From Nenita Caligayahan-Belen: Our sincere condolences and prayers for the eternal repose of his soul. He is in a better place and no more tears or suffering..
May God bless us all in His loving kindness. Amen.
From Danny Deaño: I am still reeling from the devastating news regarding the demise of our dear friend and classmate, Chito Edrosa. The only solace that we can obtain is that he is now free from pain and suffering and has joined all our dearly departed classmates in the hereafter. The letter from his daughter, Richelle is very touching and all the responses that I have gathered so far, reflect the deep respect and caring relationship we all had with Chito. He will be sorely missed. I have conveyed directly to his wife, Evelyn during our phone conversation our deep sorrow at her loss. I have also spoken to Roger G, Bess M and Juliet Luna-Joson and I am certain that the "Chicago Mob" section of UST Medicine'67 will be in full force during the wake for Chito.
I have updated the index page of our website and with a heavy heart, I have just now tried in my own way to write about our Ruby Jubilee reunion. I hope that this can later on be elaborated upon. I know that sooner or later this will happen and when it does, I hope to piece together the various perceptions concerning our reunion from everyone. I just wish that Chito could have read about our reunion and viewed the photos that were taken during the occasion before he died but it was not meant to be.
All I can say at this juncture is - after saying all our prayers for the eternal repose of the soul of our dear friend, Chito - we just have to move on. Let us continue to enjoy each other's company. Life is too short and getting shorter. We just have to make the best of it.
From Nila and Nilo Sayat: Hello Richelle, my husband, Nilo,and I were classmates of your dad, but go back a long time in the days of the early APPA and USTMAA Midwest, where he was one of the first presidents. (We attended the gala affair of the Midwest in Chicago when he was president.) Your dad and mom cut a very striking picture since they were both so tall and good-looking, especially on the dance floor. Evelyn also was in demand as a singer because of her extraordinary voice. But what we will miss most about Chito is his ever-ready smile and willingness to do ANYTHING for his beloved class: be it dancing; singing; acting; presiding over meetings; fund raising; brain-storming over ideas to make our reunions better; and even being Miss Brazil in our all-male Miss Universe Pageant where he won the coveted title! Believe me, he looked absolutely stunning in his skimpy midriff outfit and long beautiful blond hair: he won hands down. I also never heard him get angry in all the years that we knew him...he was just a big Teddy Bear. He will be sorely missed since he was so loved; but for him, the reward of eternal peace and happiness and no more suffering will offset the grief we all feel. Please accept our deepest sympathy on your loss; but you can get comfort in the thought that Chito led a good life, and is now in the arms of his Lord. We will continue to pray for his soul; and for you and your family. Most sincerely...Nila and Nilo Sayat
From Rosie Aniceto-Elazequi: The year is almost over and with the passing of 2007, another classmate said his good bye. Dan Deaño wrote in his email about the death of a dear friend and classmate, Chito Edrosa. Though we all know from Marina’s email that Chito was terminally ill, it was still a shock to learn that he did join the Lord last night, December 29th.
This tall laconic person always had a smile on his face. He was not only active as our past president but was active with the USTMAA of the Midwest as well. Together with his wife, Evelyn, they stood out as a striking couple in any gathering whether it was the APPA or the USTMAA. Those of us of Class’67 however will always remember the sweet voice of Evelyn when she sang for us. I am sure a lot of our classmates will share their memories of Chito. I remember him most on our trip to Corregidor when there were just 13 of us plus our Philippine counterparts who gathere for our 30th or Pearl Reunion. We had a wonderful time, sharing stories about children and our lives. The last time I saw Chito was at the minireunion in Chicago, in October 2006. I saw him from afar, wan-looking. I regret that I did not approach him then because I thought he would be ast the dance that evening. He did not show up, however I did write to him and Evelyn before I left for the 40th Reunion and I hope that he was able to read my sentiments and loving prayers for him and his family.
Let us not remember Chito in sorrow but in the way he lived his life. He is now at peace with the Lord, free of pain and suffering.
Dear God in heaven, we commend Chito’s soul in your hands. Open the gates of heaven and enfold him in your loving arms. We pray for Evelyn, Chito’s wife that the memories of their lives together will always be cherished. We pray for his family and friends that they may be given strength and courage in this time of sorrow. These we ask of you through Jesus Christ, our Lord. May he rest in peace. Amen
Let me quote a refrain from the song, “Here I am Lord”:
Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord?
I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go, Lord, if You lead me.
I will hold your people in my heart.
The Lord has called Chito in the night and he heeded His call.
From Alice Pecson-Cuento: Dear Evelyn, Ron, Ritchelle and Randall, your husband/Dad was a good man, a great guy, a true friend, loving, kind, compassionate, helpful, dependable, witty, funny and always with a ready smile. Although, I never had a chance to be close to him; this is what I had observed. Truly, he had lived life to the fullest and God in His always perfect timing and the only One who knows what is best for us decided to grant him His promise of eternal life. As we close the year 2007, let us celebrate the life of your Dad.
Let us thank our Heavenly Father for giving us this gentleman who lighted our lives and made a difference in this world. We bow down to You, dear Lord for our dear Chito and plead for your love and mercy that You grant Chito eternal repose in Your Kingdom, where he will experience the bliss of Your awesome presence. Thank You for bringing him home and sparing him of all the agony and suffering. You are indeed our All Merciful and All Knowing God. All honor and glory to Your Name now and forever! Amen!
May the Mighty Holy Spirit, our Comforter, Consoler, Helper and Healer anoint your entire family profoundly that you may feel the love and peace of the Lord during these difficult times and trust in the Lord always.
From Willie Lagdameo: Dear Evelyn & Family, my family and I are one with you in a prayerful send-off for Chito as he makes his heaven-bound trip. Surely we missed both of you in the recently held RubyJubilee of Class ' 67. We missed our usual reminiscings of class days' curricular and extra-curricular activities. We missed simply Chito's presence.
Please visit the Memorial Website created by his family for Chito Edrosa at www.edrosafamily.com
