Chicago's oldest Fil-Am dies at 104; gets full honors

CHICAGO, Illinois - A Filipino American oldtimer, who came to the United States as a sakada (pineapple plantation worker) in Hawaii in the early twenties and went on to become a US Navy serviceman and a World War II veteran, was buried here on March 8 with full military honors. Alfredo Pascua Acierto, at the ripe age of 104, was believed to be the oldest Filipino American in Chicago area. He died of natural causes last Feb. 29, in his Chicago home. Born in Candon, Ilocos Sur on Oct. 30, 1903, Acierto, the eldest of eight children, was one of the 3,000 plantation workers transported yearly from the Philippines to Hawaii starting in 1920. Candon is also ground zero origin for the historic first wave of 15 Filipino sakadas who boarded the SS Doric that landed in Hawaii in 1906. Acierto arrived in Hawaii at the age of 18 in 1921. He later relocated to the mainland in California before coming to Chicago to live near an uncle. In Chicago, he started working as a clerk with the US Postal Service. He enlisted in the US Navy and saw action in the Pacific during World War II. When he took a leave from the service near the end of World War II in the Philippines, he met his future wife, Maria, who would be his wife of 63 years. At the end of the war, Acierto returned to Chicago with his wife and resumed his work at the Post Office. While rearing their three children, the Acierto couple had shown their compassion for others when they acted as guardians for two nieces and a nephew, whose parents were unable to care for them, according to their relatives. He was eulogized as 'a generous and loving man to all." Acierto also pursued his B.A. in Economics at Northwestern University in suburban Evanston, Illinois. "His family was always dad's first priority. A good education and a good career were his wishes for us," Mary A. Ridley, one of his three children, told this reporter. "He worked hard so that we could all go to college without taking out student loans. He supported my Mom's education, sending her to University for her B.A., Master's and Doctorate degrees," according to Mary, who is a namesake of her Mom. "Dad also was a pioneer in the establishment of the Rizal Center, a community center, in Chicago, and was active in many Filipino American organizations such as the Filipino American Council of Greater Chicago, the Ilocos Sur Club, the Fil-Am Vets Post 234 (he was Post Commander) and the Bagumbayan Credit Union. Acierto was also a member of the Knights of Rizal, Chicago chapter, for many years. He was a Knight of the Grand Order 4th degree. "Both of our parents are considered the founders of the Filipino community in Chicago since the 1950's." Mary added. Acierto retired from the Chicago Post Office in 1959, after more than 20 years of service. He later worked as a clerk at Chicago's Continental Bank. The Acierto couple returned to the Philippines twice. Other survivors are his wife, Mary, two sons, Alex and Bob, a sister, Eustaquia; six grandchildren; and four great grandchildren. Fluent in Ilocano and in Tagalog, Acierto lived with his late brother, Juan, in a house they bought in Chicago in 1948. His only surviving sister, Eustaquia Rosero, 81, the youngest, lives in Toronto, Canada. - Joseph G. Lariosa, GMANews.TV