Here's a moving eulogy delivered by Mark during his grandmother interment on April 12, 2021 at the Holy Seputchre Cemetery Plaza in Hayward, California. 

Lola (Grandma) Myr was one of the strongest and most loving people to have influenced my life and it is so hard for me to comprehend that she is really gone. It feels like just yesterday that I felt her embrace and kiss...It feels like just yesterday that I saw her beautiful smile...And it feels like just yesterday that I said I love you as I waved goodbye.

Lola Myr was unlike any other Lola, besides loving and caring for my cousins and me, she actually understood who we were as a person. One of my fondest memories with her was almost 3 years ago when my parents made me stay at her and Lolo’s house for the weekend because I was making them go crazy at home. I mean first off, do you know how mad you have to make your parents sent to your grandparents? However this experience was something that I will cherish forever. While staying over at their house, I remember Lola Myr sitting me down to talk about how blessed and privileged I am to have such a family like mine. She played a big role in making the idea of privilege and appreciation very transparent for me to see. I remember her saying: “You and your cousins are so fortunate to have parents who provide you guys with such a privileged life”.  Although I took what she said with a grain of salt during that time, I now realize it more than ever. For a long time, I believed that when she said I live a privileged life, it only correlated to monetary terms but what I have realized now is that it has very little to do with money but the values that are present in my life.

The family that Lola Myr and Lolo Deo, as well as Lolo Tim, built holds the strong values of love and support and that is why I am so proud to be a part of it. I have not only wonderful parents but also amazing Aunts and Uncles whom I can always ask questions and seek advice from whenever I please. To me, this is the biggest blessing that Lola Myr has given me and my cousins.  Family is so important to me now that I truly do not think  that I would be able to function without you guys. When Lola Myr was admitted into the hospital, I personally did not think much of it even though it was a very serious matter because I believed and kept telling myself:  “You know what, she will pull through, and she will be fine”.  Isa, my cousin, mentioned to me that she felt the same way because she viewed Lola as a fighter and she really was. But when Ninang (God mother) Ann called my dad and the rest of the families, updating us that Lola just had an unexpected heart attack and only had a 2% chance of surviving, I honestly did not know how to think or feel because to me this whole situation was so very unreal. The time that the severity of Lola Myr’s illness became a reality for me was when I saw my dad crying in his office looking so helpless because there was nothing that he could nor could anyone do to realistically save her anymore. From that point, I could not help myself but collapse on my bedroom floor in tears as all of my memories with her came flooding in. Every time now when I am studying, she always pops up in my head and even when I am looking in the mirror, I see her face in mine.

As I reflected back on my experiences with Lola Myr, I realized that what I admired about her the most was not her unconditional love and compassion or her generosity but it was how much she valued my education and ambition. You can really see this through her children who have all accomplished so much and are true inspiration to me that I can only dream to achieve what they have.  Every time that I saw her, she would talk to me privately making sure that I was doing well in school and she would also talk to me about what I wanted to achieve. When I was little, I would respond to this question prematurely by saying that I wanted to be rich and as I grew up I started to figure out my priorities and the big things that I desired to accomplish and I would always let her know what they were when she asked and I could tell that she was so happy for me. I remember that when I was staying with her for the weekend, she talked to me about my future, college, and her expectations for me. At the time I was just about to start high school and she asked me where I wanted to go to college and I was hesitant with my answer because at the time I was not very confident in abilities and in myself in general and I just said any UC or good state school will do. She looked at me and said no you go and aim for Berkeley, that response not only shocked me since I knew how competitive that school was but it revealed to me that she believed in me. She believed that I could be great and could achieve big things and that installed a great amount of confidence in me. She told me that not just me, but all my cousins have the potential to be great just like Lolo Deo, my dad, my Ninang Ann, and  Tito (uncle) Edwin. What hurt me the most is the fact that I can no longer show her what I could accomplish nor can I show her that I could achieve my goals. I know that she is watching from above but it is not the same, I would give the world to see her with a proud face congratulating me during my graduation day or when I get accepted into a college. Those are the days that I look forward to sharing with her the most but now they are gone. I am now more motivated than ever to accomplish big things in school not only for myself but for my loved ones to show that I can be great just like how Lola Myr believed I could.

I truly hope that all my cousins take this in and realize that Lola Myr believed in every single one of you and thought but nothing the best for us. Although there is a possibility that I may not end up at Berkeley like she hoped, I hope I can make her proud regardless of where I attend. My relationship with Lola Myr only grew stronger as I got older and she meant so much to me. I will forever cherish the memories that I had with her and although I sometimes grew impatient with her, I will miss every second of it. I am honestly so fortunate and grateful to have had that relationship with her. Every Christmas, every birthday, every family gathering will never be the same; she will always hold a very special place in my heart.  

Lola Myr, I know that you are listening right now and I just want to let you know that having you in my life has been one the biggest gifts that god has ever given me. I promise that I will do whatever it takes to achieve my goals and make you proud one day. And please do not worry about Lolo Tim and Tita Flor and Tita Ly, I will always be there for them especially when they need me the most. I am so happy that you will finally get to reunite with Lolo Deo and I ask you to always watch over your family and continue to send your blessings from above. I love you so much and I thank you for all that you have done for me.

By Mark Sapugay