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Good bye, Lola Estay! (1917-2012)

Lola Estay, my maternal grandmother, passed away on February 29. She was 94 years old.

It was a heartwarming experience to see a lot of people attend her last Mass and then join her family as she was finally laid to rest. The Parish of Our Lady of Maulawin of the Iglesia Filipiniana Independiente (Philippine Independent Church) was filled to the brim with people (as if a movie star were there). Four priests officiated the service. And on her way out of the church, the queue of the funeral procession was very long as well.

My grandma was a local celebrity in her community, though she never knew (or admitted to) it. Fr Sonny, the priest who frequently visited Lola Estay at home, said in his homily that she's as famous as her store; her house is a landmark in barangay Sto Angel Sur and people in surrounding barangays know her; she (as the store owner) is and will always be part of Sta Cruz, Laguna's history.

I never realized how famous Lola Estay was until the day of the funeral. To me, she's the doting grandma who always fussed about her apos not eating enough during (and between) meal times, who cooked the best fried chicken in the world, and who always insisted that I bring home enough food to feed five people for two weeks even though she knew that I would be back to visit her on the next weekend.

Good bye, Lola Estay! See you again one day.

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