Susana Martinez Aquino

Susana Martinez Aquino was born January 9, 1940 Mission, Nagbukel, Ilocos Sur and transitioned February 19, 2019 Visalia, California, at the age of 79 years old. Susana or fondly referred to by many as Susing, is the second born of Estanislao Martinez and Concepcion Melecio. Unfortunately, during the Japanese occupation of Philippines at a refugee camp, her mother Concepcion and younger brother Arsenio died. She described the experience as horrifying when they escaped the Japanese invasion. During the chaos that ensued, she was lost and separated from the rest of the family in the mass confusion and left crying in front of their home until a relative grabbed her and escaped to the hinterlands for refuge. It was there at the refugee camp where she was reunited with the rest of the family. This is the common starting point and story for so many immigrant families who have endured great suffering before coming to the US. Fortunately, her father along with her eldest brother, Diosdado "Dadong" Martinez persisted and together with other extended family members, they picked up the pieces. Her Father remarried to Filomena Pancho and birthed her younger siblings Loreta "Loring" Anin, Magdelena "Nena" Blaza, Restituta "Tita" Rodriguez, Cresencia "Baby" Pascua, and Estanislao "Boy" Martinez, Jr. Although her father came here when he was a mere 15 years old in the 1930s he was one of the few Filipinos who were able to migrate back to the Philippines at the height of the Great Depression. It was her brother Dadong, a US Navy man, who brought the family to the US. In 1972, Susana arrived in the US and shortly thereafter, in 1975, returned to the Philippines to marry her husband Pedro "Edring" Cacatian Aquino. Upon their return to the US, they bore two children, Sharon Aquino and Glenn Philip Martinez Aquino, and raised their family in Orosi, California. Although she was a college graduate earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Home Economics at Lyceum of Baguio College, in the Philippines she became a deskilled worker. Despite her educational background and skills, she began working the fields as a farmworker and at various packing houses then moved on to do factory work where she eventually retired as an Electronic Assembler. On January 16, 1986, she was widowed when her husband was brutally murdered while working the graveyard shift at the local gas station and left to raise two very young children. Despite her many hardships, Susing was able to carry her family through it all. She was a very hard working woman with very strong principles. Everyone knew if you betrayed her she would let you hear about it but she also taught us all how to forgive, eventually. Her faith in God was unwavering and her ability to provide for her family was incomparable. Despite retiring on a mere minimum wage, she successfully put both children through college. Her children are deeply grateful for every sacrifice she gave on behalf of them. She loved so many things: gardening vegetables and various plants and flowers, clothes, shopping, jewelry, the color red, her dogs that kept her company throughout the years, watching Days of our Lives, Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, TFC telenovelas, and she loved being Filipino, Ilokano and Itneg. She really enjoyed cooking and eating Filipino food. She will fondly be remembered for her Pinakbet, Adobo and Bibingka that she lovingly cooked for family gatherings. But most of all she loved and adored watching her granddaughter, Melina Keilani, grow and dance her heart away. She will always have a chair saved to watch her only grandchild perform each of her dances. Aginana kan Mom! (Rest now Mom!)

Susana Martinez Aquino

January 9, 1940 - February 19, 2019