
On the final day of Emman Atienza's wake, held on Tuesday, November 4, at the Heritage Memorial Park, Felicia Atienza moved everyone to tears as she delivered a heartfelt eulogy for her beloved daughter.
In her almost seven-minute speech, Felicia became emotional as she remembered Emman's childhood and loving personality.
“Emman, she is my mini me,” she began. However, she also pointed out that Emman had some similarities to her dad, Kim Atienza.
“They both have the gift of yakking. At the dinner table, it would always yak, yak, yak between the two of them,” she shared. She added that they were also both “great singers, actors, and dancers.”
Felicia also mentioned that she and Emman shared similar facial features, including their long legs and their signature “duck walk.”
“Emman was very intelligent. In fact, she's a better version of me. She's version two,” Felicia proudly said.
She looked back on Emman's early education and shared that her principal once told her, “The best Atienza is yet to come.”
Felicia recalled that Emman was an excellent student, as her English teacher once wrote in her transcript, “Emman was one of the most outstanding students I have ever had.”
“Emman was very, very intelligent, and she also had very high EQ as well,” Felicia added.
Aside from her intelligence, Felicia revealed that Emman's most outstanding characteristic was her authenticity.
Despite the pain she was struggling with, Felicia said that Emman remained open about her experiences, sharing her pain, her struggles, and her joy, which deeply resonated with many people.
“She always had space for others, even in her darkest moments,” she said. “And the thunderous outpouring of love for Emman is a testament to that.”
“Now, in her absence, there is silence. But Emman, I still hear you. I hear your boisterous laughter. I hear your yapping. I hear your singing,” Felicia mourned.
“I still see you walking by in your sassy skirt, cartwheeling in the house. She loved dancing. And I smell your perfume all the time. You had a favorite perfume Jo Malone. She said, 'Don't ever tell anyone which Jo Malone it is.' But Emman, I'm wearing your Jo Malone. In fact I snitched it from your bedroom. It's mine now. And I'm wearing it tonight,” she said with a bittersweet smile.
In the middle of her speech, she recalled the words of a pastor who once told her, “In His garden of grace, even the broken trees bear fruit,” which gave her strength to keep living with love and faith in her daughter's memory.
“Emman, know that your spirit lives on in the people you have touched. And in my life, I know that you will guide me in my choices, and in my voice,” she expressed.
As her eulogy came to an end, Felicia broke down in tears, remembering the moment she learned she had lost Emman.
Felicia called Emman's passing “the deepest pain” she has ever felt in her life.
“Heaven gained an angel,” she said softly. “Know that I will carry your torch here on earth, Emman, Emman, Emman.”
“Emman, you are my sunshine. You are my love. You are my everything. And one day, we will be together again. I love you,” she ended her speech.
Felicia and Kim Atienza confirmed Emman's death in a joint Instagram post on October 22. Emman passed away at the age of 19.
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