The following sad announcement was made by Marina G. Feliciano on May 6, 2007:

MERCEDES MARTINEZ - TROMPETA

BORN : BALAYAN, BATANGAS  -  APRIL 17, 1943

DIED   : LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK  -  MAY 6, 2007

CAUSE OF DEATH:  METASTATIC COLON CANCER

SERVICES;

WAKE;  MAY 8 TUESDAY

             MAY 9  WEDNESDAY

TIME  ;   2:00 - 9:00  PM

PLACE;  DALTON FUNERAL HOME

              47 JERUSALEM AVENUE

              HICKSVILLE , NY.  11801

              (516) 931-0262

FUNERAL MASS;  MAY 10, 2007 THURSDAY AT 9:30 AM 

               ST. IGNATIUS LOYOLA CHURCH.

                NORTH BROADWAY, HICKSVILLE, NY,

INTERMENT OF ASHES;  SAN FRANCISCO, CA at a  LATER DATE

CONDOLENCES TO HER FAMILY;

MR. CHITO MARTINEZ

4423 GLEN CANYON CIRCLE

PIITSBURG, CA. 94565

CCMARTZ4423@YAHOO.COM

(JUST FOR THE NEXT 1-2 WEEKS PHONE # (516) 935-1179)

I shall not speak

I shall not cry

But instead

Let you speak your verses

Let you pray for us bereaved.

Sleep well with God

And all the Saints in eternal peace

With your husband, Albert, your parents, classmates, friends.

I will love you,

I will miss you,

My roommate, my neighbor, my classmate, my poet, my friend . . . . .

. . . . MARINA

From Zinnia B. Giron:

Another sad day for all of us.  Our circle is broken one more time, with one less to help make it whole again.  God took this time a very beautiful soul, a very talented mind.  She opened up to us with her beautiful  poems in Tagalog and in English, the few she shared with us.  Death sounds very final.  We will grieve with the rest; then we will rejoice for  a classmate, a friend, had  successfully made her final journey to the kingdom of the Lord.  Let us bid Mercedita Martinez-Trompeta our final goodbye.

Let us all join in prayers to celebrate Mercy's life and to thank the Almighty for showing us His love by giving us Mercy . During her lifetime she set an example of piety, modesty, humility and grace under significant stresses of ill health and personal loss.

Her excellent defense of the " good side" of the balagtasan in San Francisco spoke well of her spirituality

The following poem was sent to Marina by Mercy in 2004 and published in the Class 67 Newsletter:

My Daily Prayer

With the coming of the dawn and the breaking of day

I open my eyes and my mind to a pray'r:

Thank you, Lord, for a peaceful night

and Thank You for a new chance of life.

Praises to You for this new born day

Help me live it to the Fullest, I beg and pray:

To earn my keep,to lend my ear,

To extend a hand to one in need.

To say "Thank You, you made me happy"

Or, "I am sorry, oh, please forgive me",

T appreciate a well done deed

And to one's faults to pay less heed.

To pray to all who are in plight

To raise a voice to make things right

To shed a tear and share one's grief.

Amidst all these, I shan't forget

There also cause to celebrate.

To you, my God, I humbly offer

Every hour, every minute, every second of day

I offer each deed, no matter how trite

For I am no hero, just your humble child

Who'll need more heaping of your grace and blessing

To face a task as insurmountable as it is rewarding.

With the first glint of light, Lord, open my heart

To the task you have set, be it small or large

And my mind to accept, tho' not fully grasp

The what, the how, the why of everything that counts,

Take away all my fears and erase all my doubts

And sate my heart's longings for peace, hope and trust.

Finite as iI am. many times i will err

A weak as I am it may seem I don't learn

One trespass after another again and again

For your pardon and mercy, I beg and yearn.

Oh, Lord, don't forget my daily bread

To nourish my body more so my spirit

And fill my want, my crave, my need

Yes, I'll remember: No wordly treasure is forever for keeps.

When nothing seems right and the burden gets heavy

I implore your angels ant saints and your mother Mary

To intercede for me in your kingdom on high

That you come to my aid and be at my side - to carry me.

Give me faith, I bessech, tho' small as a seed

And You promised there won't be an impossible feat

I trust with my heart You won't give me a test

That will call for something beyond and more than the best.

I will love my nieghbor as much as myself

But only next to You and all for your sake

Your will be my will, I'll obey your biddings

I'll be kind and patient,I will be forgiving.

Give me strength and courage so as not to falter

I'll do what it takes; I will show that I care.

As the twilight nears and the dusk fast approaches

And before my eyes close to a deep slumber

To You, my God, again I raise my mind in pray'r;

Thank You for a full day!

Thank You! Thank You! for holding my hand

Every inch of my way!

Amen

From Inday Mapa:

"The Good Die Not"

God calls our loved ones, but we lose not wholly

What He has given

They live on earth, in thought and deed, as truly

As in His heaven.

Like sweet flowers blooming fond memories remain       

The charm of their virtues, as Heaven's own breath,

Still rises like incense beyond love and death.

I spoke to Mercy for the last time March 23, 2007 when we were in NY.  I sure was shocked when Marina told me about her condition.  She sounded calm and ready.

Manolo, Helouise and family are sending our condolences and praying for the REPOSE of her soul

Dear Mercy's family:

Although you may not know me, Mercy called me a month ago, because I too have a health challenge similar to hers and I did advise her to not give up and take whatever treatment is available. I am so sorry for your loss and she is loved dearly by our classmates because of her simplicity, kindness , humor, and artistic talent.  We shall keep you in our prayers  so that you keep the faith and the strength that she had .

We , the class of 67 UST Med offer our condolences to all of you , but remember that she is now with her loved ones who have gone before her and she is watching all of us from a HAPPY PLACE !!!

God bless you all and keep you in HIS embrace!!!

Love,

Leonor Feliciano, MD