Elie Javier Torres - Garcia

Elie Javier Torres - Garcia The Good Lord, Our God, and Mother Mary has called Mama Elie to join Them in the Company of All the Angels and All the Saints, her husband Papa Saling and her son, Cezar, on August 25, 2022, at the age of 105 years and 6 months. Mama Elie is survived by 8 children: George (Amor), Rosalino, Jr., Redempta, Nestor; Margareth (Adolfo), Elizabeth (Leonardo), Carmen, and Leopold (Cristina); and 24 grandchildren and their respective spouses; and 30 great-grandchildren. Eleuteria "Mama Elie" Javier Torres - Garcia was born on February 20, 1917, to Samuel Torres and Maximina Javier, in Bucay, Abra, Philippines, the fourth child of 9 children. Mama Elie was born during the US Occupation of the Philippines, following its liberation from Spain. After her primary and secondary education -- educated by the Thomasite educators from the US, Mama Elie completed her nursing degree, in 1940 from the St. Paul Hospital School of Nursing, in Intramuros, Manila, under the tutelage of the Maryknoll Sisters from the US. She was given her first nursing job by the Sisters at the hospital, where she met her husband, Rosalino V. Garcia, a young clerk and a college student, who was visiting his parish priest from Lingayen, Pangasinan, Mama's patient, who introduced him to Mama Elie. On December 7, 1941, the Japanese bombed Manila, at the same time that they bombed Pearl Harbor, and Mama Elie joined the US Army Nursing Corps, tending to wounded and sick Filipino and American soldiers. Mama Elie married Papa Saling on July 15, 1942, amidst the Japanese Occupation. Papa Saling brought his young wife to Maniboc, Lingayen, Pangasinan, where they settled. She ministered to his mother, until she passed. She continued to work as a home nurse, which included assisting the local doctor in delivering babies. Mama and Papa began their family, starting with the birth of their first child in 1943. They were among the townspeople who welcomed General Douglas MacArthur, when he landed in Lingayen Gulf on January 9, 1945. Papa worked with the US Armed Forces as an interpreter, while Mama worked as a nurse, again to minister to wounded and sick Filipino and American soldiers, fighting to liberate the Philippines from Japan. Following the Japanese surrender to the American forces and the conclusion of WWII in the Pacific, Papa Saling completed his Accounting studies from the Far Eastern University, and began his career as a Philippine Government Auditor in the province of Bukidnon in 1956, where the family emigrated, which now included their first 6 children. In the six years of his assignment, three more children were welcomed. In 1961, the family relocated to Manila, the country's capital, where he assumed Auditorship in various government corporations, Quezon City, Rizal province, and, finally, the Development Academy of the Philippines, while serving under four different presidents. Mama Elie ably supported Papa Saling as his homemaker and hostess, developing her cooking prowess, to provide dinners for various visiting government officials. Her greatest sacrifice for the family was to give up her nursing cap, exchanging it for the apron of a mother to raise and educate 9 growing children as they navigated through their studies, from primary education to college and, even medical school. Following Papa Saling's retirement from government service, their eldest son, George and his wife, Amor, petitioned them to immigrate to the United States. Eventually, all their children and grandchildren joined them in the US. They found their home in Crosspointe, Fairfax Station, Virginia, in January, 1990, a home that Mama Ellie beautified with her garden from spring to fall, with azaleas, roses, begonias, impatiens and gladioli, for which she was most admired by the neighborhood. Mama Elie attended to her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren as they lived and visited with her and Papa Saling, Her first greeting was always, " Have you eaten already?", and, then, she would bring out all these delicious home-cooked meals. Birthdays and holidays were fun, boisterous and memorable, when she would prepare all the dishes and desserts, from watching Julia Child and cooking, that included her "pancit", "lumpia", ham, turkey, and desserts of ensaymada, leche flan, fruit salad and baklava. She also gifted her children and grandchildren with scarves, hats and afghans, knitted with her own hands. From Mama Elie and Papa Saling, her children and grandchildren learned the values of placing family first and foremost, nurturing and educating children by words and by examples, hard work, strong moral values of honesty and respect for everyone, and, love and generosity for parents and elders, children, family, friends and acquaintances. It brought them great pride when friends and acquaintances would compliment them for their respectful and well-behaved children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Their lives have been always rooted in a strong and fervent devotion to their Catholic Religion, their faith so deep, and their prayers so unceasing and powerful, that the Lord God has granted them long, healthy and happy years to watch their family grow and prosper, fortunate to see many great-grandchildren to whom have been passed what they have explicitly and implicitly instilled in their children. Mama Elie and Papa Saling were also among the original parishioners of St. Raymond of Penafort Catholic Church, and, were extremely proud of seeing their parish church grow to what it is now. Mama Elie's and Papa Saling's lives have long journeys that have brought them to various places in the Philippines, the United States, Lourdes, France and the Vatican. They have achieved a state of happiness and contentment, through all their years of struggle to raise a family of nine, with a growing brood of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Mama is home now with Papa Saling and their son Cezar. We look up to them in heaven, with everlasting respect, admiration and love. We thank them both, Mama Elie and Papa Saling, for giving us and sharing with us their gifts from God. Mama Elie and Papa Saling, we love you very much. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Mama Elie’s name to St. Raymond Penafort Catholic Church, where she offered flowers from her garden.

Tributes

Elie Javier Torres - Garcia

February 20, 1917 - August 25, 2022