Friends, kin honor late Pinay who defined immigrant spirit

LOS ANGELES - Relatives and friends of Pilar Mencias Kierulf gave a warm and loving tribute on the eve of her October 1 birthday, when the piano teacher and church pianist would have turned 92.

The Glendora, Calif., great grandmother who suddenly died at home on Sept. 6 received a rousing greeting at the Sept. 30 service from her best friend as well as abundant praise for her sense of adventure, her profound generosity and deep compassion.

“Happy birthday, Nena!” Maria Lourdes “Baby” Arellano Concepcion, founder of Children’s House on Montessori Lane in San Juan, Metro Manila, exclaimed after the morning memorial at St. Francis Catholic Church in Azusa, Calif.  “I’ll miss you and will never forget you,” she promised her confidante, who became a teacher at the institution that grew from a nursery to a high school.

Mrs. Kierulf defined the immigrant spirit.  She was 70 years old when she decided to start a new life in the United States.  She joined Mrs. Concepcion, her childhood chum and neighbor, who had opened a preschool in Pleasanton, a suburb east of San Francisco. She later relocated to Southern California, reuniting with her daughters Corito K. Gonzalez and Lilibeth K. Sitcharungsi, both paralegals in downtown Los Angeles.

At 92, Mrs. Kierulf (wearing pearls) sang with the Voices of God choir at Grace Calvary Lutheran Church every Sunday and went to gym twice a week till. Philippine News

Mrs. Kierulf settled in comfortably. She tended to granddaughter Kimberly Sitcharungsi and grandsons Gio and Ace Gonzalez, studied painting and started giving piano lessons to neighbors.

Her love of music drew her to the Voices of God choir at Grace Calvary Lutheran Church where she sang and played the piano to the delight of Pastor David Hill and the congregation.

“At 75, Grandma the Great got her driver’s license and drove around in her own car,” recalled greatgrandson JayJay Gonzalez, who took after his elder's musicality and ended his eulogy with a euphonium solo of "Moon River."

“She was most compassionate and an amazing cook,” offered Jolo Bejasa, first of Mrs. Kierulf’s great grandchildren.

“Tita Nena was resilient, courageous and adventurous, tireless and loyal like all members of her family,” said a niece, whose eulogy took her aunt’s newfound friends on a sentimental journey back to the Philippines where Mrs. Kierulf was born to Dr. Bonifacio Mencias and his nurse wife, the former Barbara Sacro.

Dr. Mencias, dean of the College of Medicine at University of Santo Tomas, was among the pioneer homeowners of the Addition Hills district in San Juan, along with his golf buddies led by renowned architect Juan Arellano. The street where the first editor of the Philippine Journal of Medicine raised his six children still bears his name in honor of his ultimate sacrifice: Shortly before the end of World War II, he was arrested and executed by invading Japanese troops for giving medical care to the Philippine underground resistance.

Mrs. Kierulf and her three sisters attended St. Theresa’s College, while their two brothers studied at Colegio de San Juan de Letran, their father’s alma mater. They followed in his footsteps to UST with their brother Eleno later earning his medical degree in Chicago. After they lost their father, the older Mencias children helped their widowed mother by taking the first job available to support their younger siblings. From childhood they looked after each other, filial devotion a hallmark of their upbringing.

Like her mother, Mrs. Kierulf modeled strength, unwavering faith, and optimism. Her colorful life was marked by milestones both triumphant and sorrowful, especially the passing of her husband Ramon Kierulf Sr., her eldest son Manuel (Pocholo) and third of 4 sons Henry (Chinito). Through her challenges, she held on to the belief that God was testing her and that all would be OK in the end.

Mrs. Kierulf was health-conscious and at 80 started working out twice a week with her daughters. At 90, she beamed like a debutante as she received some 100 well-wishers from Manila and all over the US at a grand celebration.

Months afterward she complained of abdominal pain that sent her on regular visits to the doctor. She suspected she was battling a serious illness, but she believed she was getting better after trying out each new prescription. She would volunteer her kitchen remedy for every ache, encouraging intimates to give the recipe a try.
She was protective of her children, put their well-being first.

“You know,” she lowered her voice during a recent phone call with a niece, “I think I have cancer but they don’t want me to know.” She played along, not wanting to dampen the mood over her declining health.

Mrs. Kierulf treasured life and savored each day. Her last photos show her smiling radiantly on the Labor Day visit with her youngest daughter Jing K. Pe of Vancouver, B.C.

She passed away at home before dawn Sept. 6. The Sept. 30 memorial preceded service to take place in Manila, followed by interment at the San Juan Municipal Cemetery in perpetual rest with her husband and their sons.

Teresa “Techie” Kierulf Bejasa thanked friends and family who attended the service to honor her mother.

“We thank God for the gift of her life and for her legacy of loving and giving,” said the eldest of Mrs. Kierulf’s 10 children.

Mrs. Kierulf is survived by her daughters Techie and husband Bes Bejasa  and Corito and husband Freddy Gonzalez of Pomona, Calif; Mian and husband Jerry Asiddao of Metro Manila; Lilibeth and Boon Sitcharungsi of Glendora, Calif.; sons Ramon Jr. (Sonny) and wife Grace and Noel and wife Evelyn of Metro Manila; daughters Michelle and husband Gobby de Leon of Metro Manila; and Jing and husband Jay Pe of Vancouver, B.C., and their families; her sister Margarita Mencias Castañeda of Metro Manila and her family; nieces and nephews and their families, and lifelong friends all over the world whom she touched with her fearlessness and faith. —Philippine News